Military Spouse Teaches Hands-On Healthy Cooking Class

With a culinary degree in hand and experience as a head chef, Chef Johnny Scott launched a catering and personal chef business called The Mission Kitchen shortly before he got news he would soon be moving overseas.

“My wife was like, “Hey honey, we’re going to Germany!’“ Scott laughed. "I’m like, “I just started a business, what do you mean?”

That’s when the Air Force spouse’s business went international.

"I was like, how about we just cook in Germany, how about that?” Scott recalled.

As he grew his catering and personal chef services, Scott also started to do outreach at local community centers inspiring children to adopt a healthy outlet like cooking.

However, in 2014, another assignment brought the two to Joint Base Andrews, where Scott soon got involved with the USO of Metropolitan Washington - Baltimore as a volunteer.

"I just came over here wanting just to do omelettes for the soldiers, just something to keep my skills up,” Scott said.

But a chance encounter with Chef Robert Irvine led him down a different path.

“[Chef Irvine] gave me his card and he was like, ‘Okay let me know when you’re ready!’”

Sponsored by the Robert Irvine Foundation, Chef Johnny now leads a regular healthy cooking class as part of the Chef Series at the USO Warrior and Family Center at Fort Belvoir. The cooking classes pack a crowd every month as service members and family work hands-on together to cook a family-style meal while building their knowledge of healthy cooking techniques.

To learn more about Chef Johnny Scott’s story building a successful personal chef business, visit www.themissionkitchen.com or contact him at info@themissionkitchen.com.