He wants us to know him.
He needs us to know him.
And he does offer the public plenty of reasons to recall his caring character and his bona fide brand with that big beard, the fancy bandanas, the “Vagabond” moniker, and his compass-like logo. It all collects for a terrific tale to tell when given the chance on any stage and platform be it in the Upper Ohio Valley or along one of those tasty trails he travels every chance he gets.
Matt Welsch is, after all, proud to be a farm-to-table chef who serves foods with an Appalachian flare and was recently named as the executive chef for the state parks in West Virginia. If you ask him, though, he’ll humbly and most likely describe himself as “just a farm boy turned cook who’s trying to do a good thing.”
Sure, a “farm boy,” and that is true, but this Marshall County man also has been quite the “cover boy” since breaking onto the Wheeling area’s food scene nine years ago. Not only did Welsch win an episode on “Guy’s Grocery Games” on the Food Network, but he and his cuisine also have been featured by all of the area’s media outlets, in West Virginia Living Magazine, by West Virginia Explorer, on the pages of Taste! of West Virginia, and here on LEDE News a number of times over the past four years.
As the “Vagabond Chef” says, “These days attention is currency, and to do good things and be heard, you gotta get folks attention!”
But wait. Think about it.
How does this chef, a guy scheduled to walk down the aisle this coming weekend, do all of the cooking AND all of the PR, too?
Hmm.
What was your first word, according to your parents, and what’s the story behind that word?
I was pretty good at rattling off several words when I first started talking. “Mom,” “Dad,” “car,” “bird,” but then I learned the word “look,” and after that everything was “look look look.”
Much more efficient! Mom was worried I’d never start saying other words, and why bother!? “Look” got the job done. Haha.
What part of marriage are you most worried about and why?
I’ve been so focused for so long on building the business and growing my brand that I’m constantly concerned I’ll neglect Amanda or our son. I tried to find a work life balance before Amanda came into my life, and I mostly failed. Now it’s imperative.
I said for years that I couldn’t do what I do with a family, but now I have to figure it out. I refuse to be one of those chefs or entrepreneurs who doesn’t see his kids grow up. So, I make them my top priority, and I make sure to schedule time to spend with them.
It’s tough sometimes, but it’s worth it. Being the best husband and father I can be is the most important thing to me. Chef, and business owner come second.
How often do people “advise” you to be visible more often in your kitchen? What are their reasons for offering that advice?
People love to backseat drive. What they need to realize is that they’re making decisions based off of a limited amount of data and can’t see the whole picture.
When I first started the Vagabond Kitchen, people “should” on me all the time. I should do this, I should do that differently … I should, I should, I should. I do think most of those suggestions came from a good place. I really didn’t know what I was doing! Running a business is a lot different than just cooking, and at the end of the day, I just loved to cook and wanted to share that with people.
Fortunately, it turns out I am good at more than just cooking. I’ll never think I know it all, but for over nine years now, I’ve kept a small, quality-focused restaurant alive in downtown Wheeling. I haven’t sacrificed any of my ideals — if anything, I’ve gotten better at realizing the initial intent of the restaurant and how I hoped it would become a cornerstone of Wheeling’s resurrection.
I’ve learned not to take criticism to heart. I’ve put everything into the restaurant, and I have failed and missed the mark here and there. Things aren’t always as good as I want them to be. But I work every day to make it better and to take Vagabond to the next level.
Early on, it became painfully apparent that I needed to get out into the world and shine a light on what we’re doing. The work I do outside of the restaurant — be it with state tourism, state parks, or my own farm-to-table events — is both a spotlight on all the good that’s happening and also a funnel to get people to come eat.
I want to bring more people into the state, into the Upper Ohio Valley, into downtown Wheeling, and yes, into my restaurant. But there’s plenty to go around and plenty for everyone.
I can’t do all that standing around and twiddling my thumbs in the kitchen.
If you wrote a job description for the “Vagabond Chef,” how would it read?
POSITION AVAILABLE FOR CHEF AND ADVENTURER: Must have sincere desire to learn and grow and dream big. Excessive amounts of grit and gumption a must. It isn’t necessary to always have the answer, but dedication to figuring it out is a huge plus. Committed to acts of service and shining a light on the positive and good deeds and work of others.This is not a solo position, but one that sometimes requires a leader and sometimes requires a follower, but teamwork is always instrumental. Monetary compensation on the lower side, but personal fulfillment in spades.
How much smarter is your son today than you were at his age? (please explain)
Well, he can count to 20 forwards and backwards, knows his colors and animals, and is already spelling his own name. He’s not quite three. He loves puzzles and figures them out super quickly. I’m amazed pretty much every day by how intelligent, inquisitive, and enthusiastic he is.
I mean, I’m a dad, so I’m super-biased, but yeah, the kid’s a genius.
I think I was about a year older than him when I peed on the electric fence on our farm, so the comparison speaks for itself.
