Passioneer® Chef Ryan Hutmacher, Co-Founder of Centered Chef Food Studios
On Wednesday, June 9th, we’re interviewing Chef Ryan Hutmacher, co-founder of Centered Chef Food Studios. With his fun-loving attitude, Chef Ryan finds inspiration for many of his innovative dishes by blending his knowledge of food with his 
hobbies. With a passion for travel and a love for endurance sports, his expertise is in creating meals that harmonize flavor, texture, convenience and nutrition. His vision captures the flavors of “Clean Cuisine”. Though Chef Ryan realized his passion for food while cooking at a restaurant during his undergraduate studies, it wasn’t until three years into an uninspiring career sales management that Chef Ryan sought to re-invent his career as well as his lifestyle. As he puts it: “I was at my physical and mental worst. At age 24, I was 5’7” and weighed 230 pounds. I was over 40% body fat! My doctor wanted to prescribe anti-depressants, blood pressure & cholesterol medications. This compounded with the fact I was deemed a pre-Type 2 Diabetic, had asthma and smoked cigarettes…something had to change!” Since co-founding …Centered Chef Food Studios, Chef Ryan has lost more than 50 pounds. Beyond his physical and mental wellness, Chef Ryan leads an active lifestyle by competing in triathlons and marathons. He recently received recognition as an Ironman, upon the completion of Ironman Cozumel. Watch his amazing Ironman documentary. Aside from physical activity, he also enjoys mentoring with organizations like the “Healthy Schools Campaign” and Pathways Seminars. Chef Ryan holds a B.S. in public relations from Illinois State University and graduated at the top of his class with an A.S. from the culinary arts program at Kendall College. He can be reached at www.centeredchef.com.
Ryan’s Passioneer Q&A
SO: Your definition of “passion” – your “WHY” for being on the planet?
Passion is an outward energy that encompasses idealism, trial and error and humility, but in no particular order. To know it is to be willing to jump from a ledge, fall down, dust yourself off, and learn another way to fall down and get back up. It’s not about duplicating the mistakes, but gaining efficiency from them when they happen. I think this is the difference between those who say there passionate vs. those who are just dreamers. There are real risks involved, like failing, and having no one but your self to blame. The true indication of passion is when you see that you’ve created a culture that works and thrives around your vision, even when you’re not around.
SO: Your biggest passions for serving others, and how you’re expressing them (include hobbies, volunteering, if you wish)?
I am a big fan of self-made people. Whether it’s a millionaire who had an innovative idea or someone who lost 100 pounds because they were tired of being “sick and tired”, I love to be inspired. People who still choose to do the right thing, even though they are currently facing adversity also inspire me. These are the types of people who I love to share my experiences with. People don’t want to be talked to, they want a connection. My platform blends the realm of nutrition with culinary arts. I teach a lot of cooking classes and do several forms of media outreach, all with the intention of connecting to regular people who want to take head to the implications that poor diet is having on our health. People trust me, because I choose share my own stories of struggle and imperfection. They also trust me because I listen to them as I’m sharing anecdotes to everyday nutrition scenarios.
SO: Your biggest challenge(s) in expressing your passions for serving others and how you’ve addressed them?
$$$-partner just left company, paying my employees, covering costs, making a living, being frugal, etc. Accountability to finish what I start. Trying to sustain my own personal health, among the challenges of $$$ and stress. Feeling balanced between working and not “feeling guilty about not working”
SO: Your experience of “prosperity” as you define it, in making the leap?
To finally have a connection with myself in understanding and celebrating my strengths vs. accepting my weaknesses and being ok with that is an amazing revelation. The experience of prosperity becomes evident when your network of support (employees) begin to compensate your shortcomings. At some point, you will need to realize that “you can’t do it all yourself”. When you let go of this control, it empowers others to embrace your vision even more. They say the money comes… so for now my victory lap is in the culture I’ve been creating, that is both collaborative and supportive.
SO: What’s the biggest lesson that you’ve learned in making the leap?
Life is about taking risks. Not stupid risks like putting all your money down on “red”, but risks involving comfort zones. What you thought was scary and inconceivable a few years back is barely a figment of your memory. However, it was that leap that brought you to the next and so on and so forth. If you get comfortable, then it’s time to move on. Sometimes the direction can even be chosen for you, so in many cases the challenge was probably serendipitous. Embrace this uncertainty, because staying humble is what people who choose to do business with you relate to.
SO: What’s your support system look like; how did you create it?
Who we surround ourselves with is the ultimate indication of how we project self-respect. My support system is layered but very much intermingled. Sometimes we can get so lost in life’s challenges, that we don’t know who we are. Support is about people telling people what they need to hear, rather than what they want to hear. These are the people you need to surround yourself with, and whether you knew it or not, you probably already attracted these particular personality traits into your circle. My circle begins with my family. Unconditional love is calming. Integrity is the best attribute that can be traced back to my family values. Knowing the difference between what is right and wrong is important, but choosing the first is the true test. There are no shortcuts in life, only efficiencies that we create in relationships with others. There is nothing we do in life that doesn’t involve other’s support in the equation. My family, friends, clients and employees know I wear my heart on my sleeve, and I’m comfortable with that. With nothing to hide, I spend more time collaborating on solutions that trying to pretend I have all the answers. This is an amazing idealism that is truly working for me.
SO: What wisdom do you have for someone who’s scared/discouraged about their own leap?
I realized that I used to make a lot of excuses and passed blame for things that did not go my way in life. Support is all about the relationships that surround us. The first one I needed to call to action was my relationship with myself. I needed accountability. We are our own toughest critics, so rather than being victimized by that, I chose to change the way I felt about myself. That began with a physical transformation. After getting my health back, I began to see that I was indeed capable of following through. I began to trust myself, now I needed to look at this with others. There is a level of vulnerability that you must concede to in order to fully get the support you need. It’s scary to ask others for support; for fear that they’ll think you’re weak or even worse, needy. I found the idea that others are not perfect and all-knowing as something profound. The feeling that I got in supporting others seek out there own achievements, validated the idea that we ultimately want to help others succeed, but are too afraid to ask for it ourselves.
SO: What’s your next big milestone?
Financial stability will open the doors to amazing opportunities for my company. As our economy begins to stabilize, the population at large can begin to serious look at the state of our American diet. Unhealthy food is both affordable and plentiful. Convenience has blinded us to the importance of understanding where our food comes from. Does it come from fertile soil or from a science lab and what are the implications of this in association to rising disease rates? Educating individuals, institutions and corporations on the benefits of culinary wellness related issues is my main vision. Whether is be on TV, in a cookbook or in the privacy of someone’s home, I want to educate others to take the health of their families into their own hands. Eventually, our society at large will begin to embrace the effects that “clean cuisine” can have on our mind, body and spirit, with less reliance on conventional medicine to dictate our physical or metal wellbeing.
