Life & Work with John Christ

Today, we’d like to introduce you to John Christ.

John, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Over a decade ago, one of my best buddies and I traveled to Costa Rica to study Spanish and lived there for over four months. We noticed the vibrant street food scene in certain parts of the country, which sparked our motivation. After contemplating our return to the States and to Flagstaff, Arizona, we decided to start a mobile food business.

The first many years were difficult, though the potential was evident. My good friend Karl left the business in the second year to pursue ventures closer to his family up in the Northwest. As the years have gone by, I have always followed my passion for cooking over fire, with whole ingredients. As the catering operation has grown, we have serviced hundreds of weddings, parties, and events.

We shared kitchens for seven years until I finally built out our very own commercial prep kitchen. Now, focusing on both our food truck and catering departments, I continue to focus on my passion for serving high-quality cuisine to people from all over the world.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
When we started the business, we purchased an old charcoal grill, two coolers, and a pop-up tent from my dad, Wil.

We couldn’t figure out what to call our new venture, so eventually, we named it after the grill we were honored to cook on – Wil’s Grill. With a small start, it took (and still takes) a whole lot of endurance, persistence, and drive. Our biggest struggle early on and into the five or 6-year mark was certainly the shared nature of our preparation space.

We would share restaurant kitchens at odd hours, working from 5 pm-2 am to make things work. Increased prices of products, labor, and fuel have led to challenges that test our ability to think outside the box and keep moving forward, growing the business. These challenges have always seemed to lead to something better, more efficient, and higher quality as the years have gone by.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
We specialize in full-service catering, and we service all of Northern Arizona. We travel even further under certain circumstances. From a very young age, I have had a passion for cooking over open flames in outdoor settings.

To this day, 90% of our catering events involve freshly grilled and smoked fair, prepared primarily on-site. Our ability to travel to remote locations without the use of power or running water allows us to set ourselves apart from more traditional catering operations.

Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
Always keep an open heart and mind; the opportunities are seemingly endless.

Contact Info:

• Website: wilsgrillflagstaff.com
• Instagram: @wilsgrillaz
• Facebook: @smokerise928

Image Credits
Taylor Miller Photography