Chef Tyler Scott Behind CAMPKITCHEN
Over 18 years ago Tyler started working in restaurants - a fast pace career that quickly took over his life and separated him from the people and outdoor world that he loved.
When the opportunity presented itself to purchase the fine dining restaurant Tyler had been working at for seven years as sous chef, he passionately jumped in head first and quickly spent his entire life savings on a head to toe renovation.
"I thought that this was the pinnacle moment I had been working so hard for. Owning my own restaurant would mean that I made it, but the flip side didn't make me feel how I always imagined that it would." - Tyler Scott
Tyler and his wife Kassy navigated restaurant ownership through unparalleled times. Together they persevered through the ultimate hardship that was the year 2020 and somehow survived the pandemic closures, but it was at the cost of their mental health and well-being. They were desperate to escape the city to find peace and healing in the outdoors.
"I hate the word pivot now... because that's all we did. We were a fine dining steak house that needed to come up with a plan to do repeat takeout business. It felt like we were fighting an impossible fight. We had to completely pull the rug out from the foundation that we had built. At one point we turned our freshly renovated dining room into a fried chicken pop-up for three months. I joke all the time that we aged ten years as business owners. It was a chaotic and incredibly stressful time." - Tyler Scott
In 2021 Tyler and Kassy made their family camping trips a priority between restaurant life to take better care of their mental health. For an entire camping season they took their kids to provincial parks with their pop-up camper every other weekend from Sunday - Tuesday morning to accommodate restaurant operating hours. They stopped drinking alcohol and started their sobriety journey together despite the challenges of restaurant culture. These small but powerful changes were the beginning of a domino effect that would inevitably change the path of their professional and personal lives.
Slowly Tyler's interest in the outdoors started to influence the work he was doing in the restaurant. For inspiration Chef Tyler signed up for an interesting course offered to him by Peterborough & The Kawarthas Tourism called "Nature's Table." A four week program focused on developing memorable culinary experiences outdoors run by the Gros Morne Institute of Sustainable Tourism.
Chef Lori McCarthy (Food & Culture Ambassador Newfoundland/Labrador) facilitated the program and to this day, Tyler still refers to her as one of his culinary heroes.
"I had absolutely no idea what I was getting myself into, but by the end of the program I could hear this little voice inside of my heart nudging me to tap into a greater side of myself. I was mesmerized by the idea of cooking for people outside of the traditional dining space. Cooking over the fire was already something that I was very experienced at where I could always find a sense of peace and just be myself. I felt a calling to at least give it my best shot to see what the response would be like." - Tyler Scott
In 2022 Tyler and Kassy announced the bittersweet sale of their fine dining restaurant. They had no idea what challenge would come next, but both of them knew that whatever it was - it had to align with their values and involve the outdoors.
For two years the power couple ran an intimate culinary experience in The Kawarthas called "Lunch In The Woods" where they would hike with participants into the woods, host a delicious local lunch over the fire and educate on local food systems through storytelling. It was featured in the Globe And Mail as one of Ontario's best outdoor Fall experiences in 2023.
In true entrepreneurial spirit, Tyler and Kassy fused their passion for cooking delicious food with their love for spending time together outdoors. CAMPKITCHEN officially launched in February 2024 with the release of Tyler's original twig stove that he designed and customized himself for cooking over the fire.
In just one year of business CAMPKITCHEN has flourished into an epic outdoor lifestyle brand that educates and inspires people to cook on their greatest adventures.
"Food is an emotional part of the outdoor experience. There is no better feeling than a meal that you prepare for yourself, wherever you are, that feels like a cozy piece of home" - Kassy Scott
Chef Tyler Scott is currently developing a line of freeze dried meals with quality ingredients and ZERO added preservatives. Staple recipes are dialled in and are currently being field tested by friend and business partner Tosh Self Propelled on all kinds of unique tripping adventures. Tyler and Kassy are on a mission to find official CAMPKITCHEN headquarters with a certified kitchen to rollout their launch.
On top of offering unique outdoor cooking gear and freeze dried camp meals, CAMPKITCHEN also provides educational content on cooking outdoors through their engaging social media account on Instagram @camp_kitch and also through their full length videos on YouTube. SUBSCRIBE HERE to get to know them on a deeper level and to see their cooking gear and delicious recipes on adventures outdoors.
Let's get to know Tyler a little deeper with some quick questions.
What are your favourite hobbies?
Aside from cooking I really love to paddle my canoe, throw a fishing line into the water, sit patiently on a hunt and spend time teaching my daughters new skills outdoors. I listen to a lot of podcasts and audio books. I also love photography and filming my adventures.
What Inspires you?
Different food cultures around the world. I love seeing how people prepare and cook their food. Exploring local markets and cooking with fresh ingredients. Last year we took the kids to Florida and I made a simple trailer breakfast with delicious fruit from a stand that still has my mouth watering just thinking about it. Long term I dream about travelling with my kids and experiencing this feeling on a greater level. I'd love to eventually outfit my truck for overlanding adventures. The opportunities are endless for CAMPKITCHEN. I think that's what inspires me the most.
What is the most important decision you have made so far?
Out of all the difficult decisions I have ever had to make to get to this point, the best one I ever made was to quit drinking. Working in restaurants glamourized alcohol. Some people can cut back and refrain themselves from overindulging. I'm not that person. I have an addictive personality. When I replaced drinking with spending more time outside it was the best thing I ever did for my health and wellness. It connected me to a deeper meaning of life and a community that I am proud to be part of. That's the kind of addiction that I can get behind.
What makes CAMPKITCHEN unique?
There's a lot of really cool outdoor brands out there. I'm not here to say that our brand is any more unique than the next, but one thing that I really care about is the education and content creation that goes above and beyond. I want our community to take something really cool away from what we are doing even if they aren't a customer. I want to inspire people to get outside, enjoy cooking a meal and connect to the beauty around them while they do it.
If you want to learn more follow Tyler on Instagram here for the latest CAMPKITCHEN product releases and updates. You can also follow the business page on Facebook.