We were lucky to catch up with Aaron Caerbert recently and have shared our conversation below.

Aaron, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

Well for me I’ve always had a huge passion for cooking ever since I was a little boy. It started from watching my grandmother cook for me. I grew up in a divorced home and my mother being a single mother of 2 did her best for me and my sister. But unfortunately coming wasn’t her strong suit. So as I got older I started to take over cooking for my family. I stared with brunch every Sunday with a menu my family could order from. As I got older I knew being a chef was my dream so right after high school I went to culinary school. I’ve always wanted to create and share my passion with everyone. You could say I wanted to change the world one bit at a time. So after years of work for others I decided it was my turn to do what I wanted. So 2020 I put together my idea to make a business that would cater to all food not just one thing. I would do cocktail tasting, weddings, sandwiches, pasta, pizza, and so much more. I would upscale my food to a more gourmet style with a taste of my flair. I change my menu now monthly but when I started it was weekly. I didn’t want my ideas to stop flowing, I wanted to do everything. I actually started with a pick up order at my mother in-laws, which was a hit. I moved up to buying equipment and started to look for places which I just so happen to stumble upon. A friend of mine was doing catering for a location but couldn’t make it so I stepped in and did my own thing which turned out to be a big hit. I was asked to come back over and over. I planned custom menus for events they were having at the distillery which became a home for some time. After the first year I would do private events, weddings, birthday parties, you name it. After the second year I decided to start moving around to other locations to showcase who I was and how different my food was from others. Again trying to change the world one bit at a time. Now it’s 2024 and I’m still going. I was so lucky to get the opportunity to do a wedding recently which had me customizing a menu for an amazing couple that were in need of help. Moments like this reminds me of how food can have such a big impact on people. I was very humble to know that the couple loved everything and as they put it I saved the wedding. I’m not here for fame or money but to cook for people and to bring some happiness into the world.

Aaron, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Well for starters my name is Chef Aaron Caerbert. I’m a husband and father which are my favorite jobs I’ve ever had. I’m 35 and I’ve been cooking professionally since I was 17. I’ve worked in all types of kitchens over the years from fine dining to pizza joints. I’ve trained with some amazing chef over the years that had a helping hand in helping me to be the chef i am today. As a chef I’m big on having something for everyone from vegan, vegetarian, and even dietary restrictions. I strive to bring new flavors and styles to life as much as possible. I think what makes me different is i really care about everything that comes out my kitchen. If you hire me as your chef for a private event i sit down with you and talk about what you want compared to others saying this is what we have. I love to do custom menus to make that event more intimate. I just like to have fun when it comes to my food. Im most proud of what I’m doing because i get to share it with my family. My daughter Leia age 10 helps with making dessert vegan and regular ones which she sells and gets to keep the profits, this helps her learn work ethics that will be distilled into her at a young age plus gets her imagination for creating. My son Jonathan age 16 helps with cooking and front of the house. Showing him hard work and building good characteristics at a young age. My lovely wife Ashley has been my biggest supporter since the idea of this came to me. We worked together a lot in the beginning days before i could hire help. I owe everything to her for pushing me all these years to never give up on my dreams. My sister Kristal had been a big help when it comes to large private events because she has years of experience in front of the house. My parents have also been there to support me in all of this. My father Brian would be my taste tester and a big fan as he would come and spend his Sundays with us just hanging around. Unfortunately we did lose him a few years ago but I’ve learned a lot from about business and cooking from him and i strive to keep those lessons going. My mother Kim and my dad Rob were the ones that helped me when i was going to culinary school and been supportive in all my ventures. Again my grandmother was the one that started a little boys curiosity for cooking at a young age. She even bought me my very first chef jacket when I was a little which I wore for years proudly. I’m a family man and I’ve always wanted to share this business with my family. I chose the name Captain Red Beards Grub because of a few reasons. As a chef your in charge of your crew just like a Captain is of his ship. Yes if you guessed Red Beard is a reflection of me your right I do have a red beard and for the Grub part I just didn’t want to be labeled for my food. I wanted to create whatever I wanted without any boundaries. My style of cooking I guess can be described as Craft Fusion, because I make mostly everything from scratch and I bring together all types of flavors. I love food for everything it is from spices, flavors,styles, techniques, everything really. I still strive to teach myself whatever I can if I don’t know it.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Before I started this business I was full-time in the restaurant business. But for a short period of time I did step away for a better opportunity delivering medical supplies. While doing this job I injured myself badly in my back which unfortunately took me out of work for awhile. During the time I was injured was covid so there wasn’t much of anything I could do. So for months I felt as if I was broken and never to be able to do what I was ment to do. Then like lightning I felt a serge of something for through me. No I wasn’t going to let this injury define me! I started to put together an idea that at the time was so small. But it grew and got bigger, ideas started to flow like a river! Soon it was time for the idea to be born a reality! We didn’t have the name yet but we had the food and people that came knew me. I’ve fought for this to be something great and it truly is! Since then I’ve never looked back but only towards the future.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

Well like I said before I was injured at work and unfortunately had to take legal matters. From this dark time in my life because of injuries and Covid I had nothing to do in life. I had money I got from my settlement which helped with living at the time. But I couldn’t keep my head from my passion of food. I knew that I didn’t need a partner to fund me and this would keep anyone from taking what was mine. So I sat my wife down and explained what my plan was. From there we started small and worked out way up. Buying only what I knew I needed to grow and succeed. From there I went from nothing to something not over night but in a short time. My idea, my food, and who I was I knew it would work. All I had to do was to believe in myself.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linqapp.com/aaron_caerbert?r=link
• Instagram: @captainredbeardsgrub