about luke
Luke’s passion for food and cooking was sown early while he learned the craft from his mother. At the ripe age of 11, Luke channeled this passion into his first business venture in the food industry. Living on Monhegan Island, off the coast of Maine, Luke saw an underserved breakfast market of about 1,000 summer residents. Several months of refining and perfecting his recipe followed, and after negotiating a deal for a baker’s dozen with a local storeowner, Luke’s Heavenly Bagels was born. For the following two summers, the summer residents of Monhegan would no longer go hungry during the morning hours and Luke became affectionately known as the island’s “Bagel Boy.” Luke’s Heavenly Bagels was founded with an innate entrepreneurial spirit – but it’s a spirit that is not unique to just Luke amongst the Chappell clan. In fact, Luke needed to look no further then his own parents for entrepreneurial inspiration. In 1970, Tom and Kate Chappell founded Tom’s of Maine, a natural personal care products company that pioneered the use of all natural ingredients in personal care. Luke, as the youngest of five, was able to learn first hand the importance of putting the company values first.
In 2008 Luke began to set his plan in motion by gaining work as a farmhand on Bartlett’s Farm http://www.bartlettsfarm.com/ , a 200 acre farm on Nantucket Island, off the coast of Massachusetts. At Bartlett’s, Luke harvested an eclectic assortment of vegetables from jalapeño peppers to heirloom tomatoes. In the process, he was able to sharpen his understanding of the importance of small local farming in today’s food supply chain. In 2010, while drawing on his own experiences as the island “Bagel Boy” as well as the inspirational education from his parents, Luke founded Luke's Local.
In 2008 Luke began to set his plan in motion by gaining work as a farmhand on Bartlett’s Farm http://www.bartlettsfarm.com/ , a 200 acre farm on Nantucket Island, off the coast of Massachusetts. At Bartlett’s, Luke harvested an eclectic assortment of vegetables from jalapeño peppers to heirloom tomatoes. In the process, he was able to sharpen his understanding of the importance of small local farming in today’s food supply chain. In 2010, while drawing on his own experiences as the island “Bagel Boy” as well as the inspirational education from his parents, Luke founded Luke's Local.
about jimmy
Director of Operations
Jimmy, also a graduate from Trinity College, began working in the restaurant industry at age 16. From prep cook to bartender he has always thrived on the hard work that goes into serving people good food. After a year of working in commercial real estate in New York with Bensen & Associates, Jimmy followed his true passion for food and joined Luke in his new venture. He emphatically believes in the creation of ethically driven companies as the path for the future.
As Director of Operations, Jimmy has his hands in every aspect of the business-he truly does it all. You will never meet someone more passionate about food. When he’s not dedicating his time to Luke’s Local, you’ll find him volunteering at guerrilla dining events or experimenting with recipes in his own kitchen. Jimmy also loves live music, discovering new restaurants and exploring the Bay Area!
Jimmy, also a graduate from Trinity College, began working in the restaurant industry at age 16. From prep cook to bartender he has always thrived on the hard work that goes into serving people good food. After a year of working in commercial real estate in New York with Bensen & Associates, Jimmy followed his true passion for food and joined Luke in his new venture. He emphatically believes in the creation of ethically driven companies as the path for the future.
As Director of Operations, Jimmy has his hands in every aspect of the business-he truly does it all. You will never meet someone more passionate about food. When he’s not dedicating his time to Luke’s Local, you’ll find him volunteering at guerrilla dining events or experimenting with recipes in his own kitchen. Jimmy also loves live music, discovering new restaurants and exploring the Bay Area!
about blair
Blair Warsham comes to us with over 11 years of experience in the professional food world. After graduating with honors from the College of Culinary Arts at Johnson & Wales, Blair continued his culinary career working at some of the best restaurants in the world. Among them are:
Charlestown Grill - Charlestown
River Café - London
Bacchanalia - Atlanta
Campton Place - San Francisco
Tinderbox - San Francisco
Most recently, Blair started his own guerilla dinning group called graffEats, where he holds elaborate dinners in unusual settings. He sees graffEats as a chance to create an entirely different type of dining experience in a new dynamic, as well as having a chance to put his money where his mouth is and give back to the community. We cannot tell you how excited we are to have him on board.
To learn more about Blair and graffEats visit: http://www.graffeats.com/
Charlestown Grill - Charlestown
River Café - London
Bacchanalia - Atlanta
Campton Place - San Francisco
Tinderbox - San Francisco
Most recently, Blair started his own guerilla dinning group called graffEats, where he holds elaborate dinners in unusual settings. He sees graffEats as a chance to create an entirely different type of dining experience in a new dynamic, as well as having a chance to put his money where his mouth is and give back to the community. We cannot tell you how excited we are to have him on board.
To learn more about Blair and graffEats visit: http://www.graffeats.com/
about roger
Roger Feely is a San Francisco based chef and founder of Soul Cocina.
Roger offers over 15 years of experience as a professional cook in restaurants around the world. He has studied culinary arts in Chicago, South Carolina, India, and Spain, while the Bay Area knows him for his work at Kitchenette, Nopalito, Citizen Cake, and his most recent venture, Soul Cocina. Roger brings exceptional creativity and experience to our kitchen and we are excited he is part of the team!
Here is what SF Weekly says about Chef Roger
You can also find Roger cooking on the streets of San Francisco by following the chef on Twitter at www.twitter.com/soulcocina.
Roger offers over 15 years of experience as a professional cook in restaurants around the world. He has studied culinary arts in Chicago, South Carolina, India, and Spain, while the Bay Area knows him for his work at Kitchenette, Nopalito, Citizen Cake, and his most recent venture, Soul Cocina. Roger brings exceptional creativity and experience to our kitchen and we are excited he is part of the team!
Here is what SF Weekly says about Chef Roger
You can also find Roger cooking on the streets of San Francisco by following the chef on Twitter at www.twitter.com/soulcocina.
