If you ever find yourself on the private chef side of TikTok, you’re going to love this interview!
Today we’d like to introduce you to one of our favorite vegan chefs at the moment—Aaron Elliott. Although this Pittsburgh-native grew up to restaurant owner parents, he pursued a career drumming in punk rock bands and touring the country. But, one thing led to another and he found himself in the culinary field. After interning at Noma in Copenhagen and D.O.M. in Brazil, Elliott moved to LA to cook privately for celebrities like drummer Travis Barker, entrepreneur Ari Emmanuel, and UFC fighter Nate Diaz. Elliot also launched a vegan meal delivery service, Meal Ticket, to share his private-chef quality food with the community. Keep reading to learn more about what it’s like to be a vegan private chef and more in this interview with Aaron Elliott!
Photo by Jason Norton
VegOut (VO): What inspired you to go vegan?
Aaron Elliot (AE): I went vegetarian in 1999 when I was 13 and going to punk shows. Someone was passing out zines and I remember seeing a picture of some animal cruelty that said “cows are friends, not food.” That obviously had an impact; I haven’t eaten a cow since!
VO: For our readers who weren’t around back then, what was it like to be vegan in 1999?
AE: I didn’t go vegan until about 2007, but [going] vegetarian in 1999 was pretty easy because I worked at my parents’ restaurant. Being limited in what I could eat is definitely what first inspired me to start cooking for myself, even though I didn’t realize it at the time. I started going on tour in 2004 and I remember it being really hard since there were so few options in those cities at the time. It got to the point where I would bring a rice cooker with me and make brown rice, lentils, and quinoa before the shows. I would live off of that, pretty much. Everyone else would opt for fast food and I’ve been against that since [I was] a teenager, so I had to figure something else out. Even now with all the fast food chains offering vegan options—I think it’s cool how far it has come, but I won’t support them.
VO: When did you decide to pivot from full-time punk rock drummer to private vegan chef?
AE: It happened organically over a few years. My first job as a private chef was cooking for a professional baseball player who was looking to eat healthier than what they were offering him at the stadium. The more I continued to get better and grow, the more I fell in love with it. After a few years, all I wanted to do was learn and get better. In 2012 I was working two different jobs and took a third as the night baker at a vegan bakery because I wanted to learn how to bake. That’s when I realized I was obsessed.
VO: Growing up with parents who owned a restaurant, did you ever think you’d pursue a career in the culinary industry?
AE: Not at all! I only wanted to be a musician growing up. Cooking just fell into my lap and I realized I would be crazy not to pursue it. Whenever I meet restaurant owners with kids who are grown up now, I always ask them if their kids work in the industry. Their answer is almost always yes. We try to escape and there’s something that pulls us back. I think that’s amazing.
Photo by Jason Norton
VO: Where did you learn most of your plant-based cooking skills?
AE: I consider myself a self-taught chef. Needing to be resourceful with cooking during my touring days played a part, while my mom taught me a ton in my first few years and I’ve obviously absorbed a lot from interning at restaurants like Noma in Copenhagen, D.O.M. in Brazil, and Rustic Canyon in LA. Though I wasn’t learning plant-based skills at these restaurants, I’ve always wanted to learn from sources on the highest level and translate it to a plant-based playing field. And cookbooks too! I have hundreds of cookbooks, mostly non-vegan books that I take inspiration from and create my own substitutions. Tal Ronnen from Crossroads showed me that there are no ceilings when it comes to plant-based cooking. Plant-based cooking can be intricate with a depth of flavoring. In fact, it must be!
VO: As someone who has interned at one of the most famous eateries in the world, do you think the TV show The Bear accurately portrays what it’s like to work in a restaurant?
AE: They do such an amazing job with that show. Season one reminds me a lot of what my parents’ restaurant was like (without the chef with all the accolades coming to save it, that is). What I really love throughout the show is how Carmy keeps wavering back and forth and stating “I don’t love this” and “I love this.” I don’t think that will ever go away. A lot of my chef friends say they can’t watch it because the accuracy stresses them out. I find it to be very comforting. I find myself just smiling the entire show. And for the record … I love this!
VO: What is it like to work as the private chef to Travis Barker?
AE: Cooking for Travis is very much a full-circle moment in my life. I grew up playing drums in punk bands and he was THE example of how good you can actually be while still playing that style of music. He was always my favorite drummer and someone who I looked up to. It’s a bit surreal to go to his house to cook for him and his family, to have him post pictures of my food and shout me out online, or for him to be leaving the house and say, “I’m heading out for a minute, you want a matcha?” He’s the best.
Photo by Jason Norton
VO: Which dish of yours are you most proud of? Why?
AE: The Crispy Artichoke Sandwich is my favorite because it’s so familiar to everyone. Yes, it’s trying to be a chicken sandwich but it’s also just letting an artichoke be an artichoke. It’s marinated in pickle brine and really absorbs that flavor. The hot sauce, the mayo for the ranch, and the pickles are all made from scratch.
VO: We love the concept of your new delivery service, Meal Ticket—bringing private chef quality food to everyday Angelenos. Why is this important to you?
AE: It’s important to me to make this service more accessible to people in my life because being a private chef is often at an unattainable price point. I started hosting dinner parties at my house last summer and it was the first time after all these years that I was really able to cook for the people I love and for them to try my food. I wanted to find a way to chase that feeling, and the concept of Meal Ticket was born. It’s important to me to showcase that plant-based cooking can be exciting when made from scratch with high-level ingredients. Opening a restaurant with my brother has always been the dream, but we put that on hold for a bit due to the economic market and the saturation of the vegan restaurant space. In the meantime, Meal Ticket challenges me to be creative with a new menu every week. And for me there’s no better feeling than getting feedback of someone loving my food!
To keep up with Chef Aaron Elliott, follow @aaronxelliott and @mealticketla on Instagram!
