About Me

Hi! I’m Cody and thank you for visiting Wayfinder’s Galley!! I’m a family man, okay exerciser, wanderer, adventurer, and thrill seeker.  And guess what improves all those things……. FOOD!! Family gatherings with family size portions of food and laughter, checking out one of the local favs of a new town/city, fuel for the trail, the first real meal after a week (+) in the field/backcountry; food has a tremendous impact on it all……good or bad.

I was pre-teen when I started cooking. One of the first meals I recall making was a shrimp scampi recreation when I was 12 years old and staying with my dad for the weekend.  See, I grew up in a small town.  The kind of place with few places to eat, even less variety, and none of them are overly delicious. The cherry on top is that mom wasn’t a huge fan of the kitchen because she worked so hard, so often (Love you Mom!!). With an appetite bigger than my surroundings, I learned my way around the kitchen.  When I would eat things I loved, wherever that may be, I would bring that concept back to the kitchen to recreate with my own spin because I didn’t want microwave meals and monotonous repetitive meals to be my only option. 

My kitchen skills really excelled when I strapped on my big boy shoes and stepped out into the world.  When I was 18, I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do with my life but had a pretty good idea where it was headed.  Something about that didn’t settle well, so I ditched the college path and decided to study abroad.  The Marines took me around the world, giving me unprecedented experiences (both mentally and physically) that would have otherwise been unlikely.  From mud hut meals to five-star menus, I made sure to experience the food everywhere I went.  To be honest, it didn’t always work out that great, but I’ve always felt that one of the best ways to truly experience the culture of a place is through the local cuisine. 

It wasn’t until my second trip overseas that my cooking creativity really started to bloom.  Your options are limited as a “boot” (no say in much) and we were mostly about that DFAC surf and turf life on the first trip anyway. I did make some sun brewed sweet tea in mason jars while there, though.  But if it weren’t for the nearby bazaar (market) and care packages on round two, I might’ve lost it.  Pretty sure we all enjoyed some of the meals from the bazaar and care packages.  The third trip was so much different from the grunt life that I was used to, in almost every way.  Between all the different cuisine options, dinner parties, and our kitchen science projects after Food Network benders, my culinary experience and skills elevated to a whole new level.

With my time in service coming to an end and my lovely daughter on the way, we decided to stake claim back in my hometown.  While the restaurant options had increased, to call it an improvement would be generous.  We kind of just got more options of the same stuff……three Mexican, two Chinese, two Italian, two barbeque joints (one also a deli/butcher shop), and a handful of mom & pop eateries that, while tasty on occasion, are priming you for early onset diabetes (diabeetus? tomato/tomata) , heart disease, and obesity.  So, I stayed in the kitchen recreating everything my taste buds could remember and taking notes when I finally got it right.

My wife and I kept travelling and when our daughter came, we upped the tempo and planned accordingly.  I stayed in the kitchen, or out depending, and when our daughter got “old enough”, she started to help where she could.  By the way, my wife added a dynamic that I was lacking in our kitchen.  She has a sweet tooth that would satisfy Willy Wonka to where I’m more of a savory dude myself.  So, she’s the sweet to my salty and became what I refer to as our “pastry chef”. Let me tell you, some of the stuff she whipped up was a life saver on the late-night grad school commutes – didn’t finish.

Six years of adventures in the kitchen and around America (we only left the country once together before our daughter was born but stay tuned) and here we are! We’ve got a kitchen full of flavor that represents where I/we’ve been and I’m passing it along.  Our travels aren’t stopping any time soon and neither is my cooking. Some recipes are quick and simple, some main dishes take a bit of time and planning, and I’ll continue to throw in my favorite drinks, too. 

My hope is that maybe this will inspire some to ditch the box meals and take your meals to another place, even if you never make it there physically. Maybe it will bring your family closer together, too.  My daughter loves to cook and just took her teal blue spatula to school as one of her top three favorite things, which warmed my soul! With things like Ramen, Shepherd’s Pie, African Inspired Ribs, Loaded Street Hot Dogs, and Stuffed French toast, to name a few; there’s no need to be bored or unsatisfied!