We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Joseph Vanwagner. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Joseph below.
Alright, Joseph thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.
Originally, I went to school for business, and I majored in hospitality; a decision that would unexpectedly lead me to an entry level service-management position at a renowned Michelin two-star restaurant. I had no idea what a Michelin star was, let alone elevated cuisine. I was immediately thrust into the world of fine dining, and I was completely enamored by it. While working my full-time service job, I started working for free in all of the city’s best kitchens that would have me. Eventually, I made my way into a full-time kitchen position, and I continued to stage (work for free in pursuit of knowledge) at the best restaurant’s that allowed me to do so. Exposing myself to so many high-level environments at such an early point in my career was crucial in my development and has been a formula for growth that I continue to this day.
Knowing what I know now, had I known I wanted to be a Chef, I would have simply enrolled in culinary school or started staging at restaurants concurrent to my business education. In fact, looking back, I am extremely grateful for the hospitality business education I received, specifically the financial aspect of my schooling. However, I think any young aspiring Chef should spend as much time working with the best Chefs, at the best restaurants they can possibly find. Experience is the best teacher in the kitchen.
I don’t know if this is a skill, but I fully believe that a passion to create, and the desire to learn are essential to becoming a great Chef. The work in the kitchen is grueling, the hours are long, and the learning curve is steep. Furthermore, it takes years of developing flavor profiles, technique, and skill just to hone a dish that is good enough to be on a menu. The personal composure it takes to execute that same dish, with precision, hundreds of times a night, is another story.
Therefore, it takes an extreme amount of passion, and someone with a true desire for knowledge to overcome the multitude of challenges a culinary career presents.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My culinary roots reach back to the shores of Southwest Michigan’s fruit belt, where I grew up fishing, hunting, and exploring its many beaches and farms. During my adolescence I also spent time washing dishes, picking fruit at his friends’ blueberry farms, and even cooking food in some of the local diners.
This humble passion for food and service was intensified at Michigan State University, where I graduated with a degree in Hospitality Business. After school, I quickly found my way into restaurant management at one of Chicago’s most renowned fine dining establishments; a culinary experience so profound that it inspired me to make his way into the kitchen full time and never turn back. Since this pivotal point in 2009, I have worked professionally in some of the best kitchens in both the United States and Europe, with stints at Restaurant A.T. in Paris, Daniel in NYC, Willow’s Inn on Lummis Island, Blackbird in Chicago, and Oak and Reel in Detroit.
It is through this myriad of culinary experiences that my eyes were opened to the true bounty of naturally produced foods back home in Michigan. I’m always looking to infuse local ingredients with true creativity and modern techniques. My aim is to develop a progressive culinary touchstone for Metro Detroit and Michigan for years to come. The culmination of my work thus far has led to Echelon Kitchen and Bar, a wood-fired, vegetable forward restaurant that we are opening in just a few short weeks (Early 2025). I think the most unique aspect of our restaurant, is that we will not have a “big truck produce company.” Instead, all of our fruits and vegetables will come from local Michigan farms. We are also working with several other artisans and producers to procure other such products such as locally milled flour, meat, fish, cheese, and even rare native growing vegetables that are foraged throughout the state. Everything we serve to the guest will be touched by wood smoke or fire at some point in its preparation. Michigan has the second largest bio-diversity in the country. We want to put that on full display at Echelon Kitchen and Bar, in a sustainable, ec0-regenerative practice, that uses the most primal and time-honored cooking medium; fire.
Lastly, and equally important, at Echelon, we are aiming to rewrite the industry standard by creating a comfortable, enriching, and financially viable career route. We have created a Team Member Wellness Fund that takes a percentage of all of our revenue, and redistributes it to every-single non-tipped, hourly employee, regardless of profit. Our starting wage far exceeds the state minimum “tip-credit” wage established for tipped employees, and benefits are available to every single employee that works for us. Therefore, every single person that works at Echelon, has a literal stake in the business, and thus both an impact on our success, and a say in how our business is run. We have a culinary library where staff members can check out books but are required to come back and share what they learned. We even have a Sunday night workshop, where team members are encouraged to put up new dishes or workshop ideas they’ve been working on to receive peer feedback and Chef guidance. Not only do we want to provide memorable experiences for our guests, but we want to serve the people working within our four walls, and within our community. If we want to be a hospitality touchstone in this community, and even in this country, for years to come, we have to do what we say and say what we do; work really hard, take care of our people, take care of our community, create memorable dinning experiences.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being a Chef for me, is the benefit that it brings others. Some people come to the restaurant for big special occasions, while others are just in search of a good meal. Every single time a guest walks in the restaurant, it is an opportunity for the team and I to create a memorable experience. I think as artists, its hard for us to know the impact of our work. Somebody could be having the worst day of their life, down on their luck, fully in need of support, and the gesture of a beautifully cooked meal could be the thing that brings them the little bit of comfort they needed that day. That is powerful to me. I hope everyone that dines with us, leaves thinking “that was such a beautiful experience, I can’t wait to do that again.” We spend countless hours thinking about and curating every aspect of a guest’s experience, the most rewarding part is when a guest sees some aspect of that, immerses themself in it, and walks away with gratitude.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
For me, it all starts local. If society wants to support a creative ecosystem, I feel the best way is to immerse oneself in their local community; the artists, the farmers markets, the music halls, the cafes. We are constantly connected to the “global network” via social media, television, etc. I think getting back to the basics of connecting with one’s community creates the foundation for an incredibly unique creative ecosystem. The worlds influence will always be there, how do we interpret, translate, and create with the people and resources within our own wholly unique communities? People that are interested in answering or seeing out those types of questions will help support creatives.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.echelonkitchenandbar.com
- Instagram: @josephvanwagner
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-vanwagner-13a555263/
Image Credits
Ben Robison
Lily Foley