Our first date lasted three days. We skipped the small talk and went straight to staying up all night, smoking cigars and scheming about opening our own food spot someday. Now, we’ve been co-conspirators in life (and flavor) for the better part of a decade.
Fast forward – we swiped right for life, the dream’s alive, wheels are rollin’, and we’re stoked to share our wildest ideas with the world.
Meet the Chef
Chris is the culinary genius and restaurant-ringleader with 25 years of industry experience. He never learned not to play with his food – in fact, the opposite. Growing up, he’d go to Grandma’s after school where they’d watch Emeril Live and try to recreate his recipes. Time travel a few years ahead, and a baby-faced Chef Chris got the chance to cook with Emeril Lagasse fresh out of culinary school, making Grandma proud, and his childhood dream come true IRL.
Chris graduated top of his class, then tore through some of the bougiest beach and ski resorts in the country as a seasonal chef – packing up his knives every six months and heading to Park City, Key Largo, Lake George, or Nantucket. He helped launch a killer gastropub in southern Vermont, helmed the kitchen at a luxe private ski lodge, and slayed special event banquets in the Ivy Leagues.
Yeah, he’s cooked for the 1%, but don’t worry – he’d rather feed the real ones. Don’t let his pedigree fool you – at heart, Chris is a snacks and sammies guy. He can pretty-up any plate, but you’ll never catch him using tweezers in the kitchen – his #1 rule is fun dining over fine dining.
Oh, and if Chris looks familiar, it’s probably because you saw him cooking his famous lobster tail corn dogs on WGN Sunday Brunch.
Meet the Fam
Then came Ashley – or “Smash” as she’s known in some circles – and the duo hit the gas. Ashley’s also a lifer in the hospitality game – she slugged her way through several levels of school moonlighting at restaurants. She’s done it all – host-and-waitressing at an iconic deep-dish Chicago pizza joint, slinging drinks at a famous craft beer garden blocks from Wrigley Field, pouring the perfect pint of Guinness at an authentic Irish pub, and giving the best tour you’ve ever had (said one drunk guy on Yelp) at a legendary east coast craft brewery. Her big kid background’s in education and comms, but Ashley’s love languages are turning total strangers into fast friends and throwing a damn good party. She’s been called a “day-maker” – and honestly, it tracks.
We got hitched, landed in the northwest Chicago ‘burbs, and launched Great Full Plate – a private chef gig that earned a cult following thanks to Chris’s wild, chef-made flavored butters, signature spice blends, and creative culinary delights combined with Ashley’s heart for hospitality and shameless love of themed events.
We bought our first house in cute little downtown Cary five years ago. Then along came Spud and Sprout – our rescue pups, quality assurance testers, and unofficial playground mascots – to complete our four-pack. (They’re cute. Don’t feed them. Okay, maybe one Scooby Snack…)
This is more than a food truck to us. It’s a playground daydream come true, our very own punk rock picnic with heart, heat, and homemade hype. We can’t wait to feed y’all from belly to soul. Let’s eat!