I didn’t have some big lightbulb moment.

There wasn’t a business plan spread across the table. No dramatic speech. No “this is it” moment.

It was quieter than that.

I’ve been in kitchens for thirty years. That’s most of my life. I’ve run restaurants. Built menus. Led teams. Helped open concepts. Helped fix broken ones. I’ve worked hard for other people’s names on the door.

And I don’t regret any of it.

But somewhere along the way, I realized I didn’t want to retire one day and say, “I was part of a lot of great things,” without ever building something that was actually mine.

That’s where CD Culinary Studio came from.

Not ego. Not ambition in the loud sense. Just the feeling that I’ve learned enough the hard way that maybe it’s time to share it in my own way.

I spent ten years in England. That season shaped me deeply. It gave me a sense of history and perspective. Food there felt connected to something bigger. It wasn’t about hype. It was about identity.

My son Kobi was born in Leicester while I was managing a pub hotel. We brought him back to the hotel and I went right back to running breakfast the next morning.

At the time I thought that was strength.

Now I know I was still learning.

Coming back to America was harder than I expected. I thought I’d just slide back in. I didn’t. The market was different. The expectations were different. The pace was different. For a while, I felt like I was starting over.

That season humbled me.

It also softened me.

Ten or fifteen years ago, I walked into rooms wanting people to see how good I was. Now I walk into kitchens and I ask, “What do you need?”

That’s a big difference.

CD Culinary Studio is really just that shift made official. If someone needs help with a menu, I’ll help. If they need clarity in their kitchen layout, I’ll give it. If they want a private dinner that feels meaningful, I’ll cook it.

But I’m not trying to impress anyone anymore.

I just want to be useful.

Five years from now, I don’t need this to be huge. I just want it to be trusted. I want people in my community to know that if they call me, they’re going to get honesty. I want to mentor some good people along the way. I want to build something steady enough that I can be proud of it when it’s time to step back.

Nothing flashy.

Just solid.

This blog won’t be perfectly organized. Some posts will be about restaurant projects. Some about mashed potatoes. Some about mistakes. Some about balance. Probably a few about England and Texas and how those two places shaped me.

It’ll be random.

But it’ll be real.

-Dale