Chef Ryan Francis founded Gather and Forge in 2015 after he saw that the city of Austin was quickly becoming the fastest growing food-city in America and being the entrepreneur he is, he decided to jump in head first. Ryan has been working around food for 18 years, working in every single position you can in a restaurant and learning the tricks of the trade. These years also sculpted a young chef in the making, as he stockpiled knowledge and experience from seven cities across the United States during this time. 

Ryan smelled the opportunity coming from Austin all the way in NYC, and found himself at Bryce Gilmore's well-loved restaurant Odd Duck in 2013. Over the next two years, he learned how Gilmore and his team approached farm-to-table cuisine utilizing various classic and modern techniques. Armed with invaluable knowledge, and wood-fired passion for the craft, he decided to venture from the Odd Duck… Gather and Forge was born. 

The entire concept of Gather and Forge was formed through years of brainstorming and trying to break the barriers of traditional restaurant work. While the beginning of his journey was filled with a lot of pushback, he knew that eventually he would see his dream come to fruition. Gather and Forge was a one man show for 4 years while he conceptualized what it is today. Constantly building the idea in his head over years of grinding away in the kitchen he knew it was time to level the business up.   

It was simple (or so he thought), find the best chefs from the best restaurants, let them create freely and help them build financial freedom while doing what they love. Thousands of hours later and saving every dime he had, he was finally able to bring this to life. Gather and Forge is now the leading private chef service in Texas (and maybe even the country) and helps chefs monetize their passion for cooking. Ryan is no longer cooking as much inside the business but is operating it to expand and thrive in more markets. 

Gather & Forge is now laying the groundwork for like-minded chefs to nourish hungry clients, showcase their talent, and strengthen the connection between local farmers and anyone who enjoys a good bite or more.