Today we’d like to introduce you to Joe Muscarello.
Hi Joe, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I guess the origin story began around 2009 while working in Madrid. On my days off I would shop with other employees then we’d go back to their flats and each cook our favorite or family recipes. That intimate personal touch of sharing your time, kitchen and table with great people really stuck with. Fast forward to 2014 Seattle Washington where I was a F&B Manager and just getting burnt out by the long days (generally 12-16 hrs a day), especially since the establishment was open 365 days a year I started looking to do something different.
I had met a Personal Chef the year prior, and on my time off she would have me do gigs with her – anything from Catering to In Home Classes. It really seemed to feel what I had been missing in the industry. So 4th of July 2014 while on my way in to work I had made up my mind that I was going to give my notice. Gave my Director 6 week notice that following Monday, scheduled my wrist surgeries, and began trying to figure out how to create a business from scratch. Named it Seattle Chef Joe, sort of figured that would say all I needed in a name.
Since then I have been honored with several peoples choice awards like Best of Western Washington for Wedding Catering, Expertise.com, Thumbtack, and others. While the recognition felt great, some of my favorite accomplishments was the ability to impact the community in a positive way, whether it was cooking for the families staying at the Ronald McDonald House Charity in Sandpoint, Donating Classes and Caterings to help School Art Programs raise money, or even using the classes to create meals for local homeless camps around Seattle. Just knowing I could use my time to give someone a break in there day was a fantastic feeling.
Around the end of 2021 I decided to move to Phoenix and took some time to get settled and see the changes since I had left almost 15 years prior. In 2022 I started the building phase of The Chef Joe, and most recently I was in the 2025 Best of the Valley under Caterer and Chef. While I still do Custom Meal Prep, Cooking Classes and Catering, I have been fortunate enough to also be Coaching Individuals and other Small Business owners. A lot of times it is on a specific issue they may be having a hard time getting past, but also is diet related at the same time. For me it is fun to watch a Person or Business level up after a session in the kitchen. I know some of my best conversations have been in front of the stove.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I wouldn’t say it has been hard but challenging absolutely!
There are going to be times when you just are not feeling your best or in alignment for whatever reason, and it happens. I always tell people those are the days you just have to buckle down, focus and make sure you are giving 150% of whatever you have in the tank.
You generally hear people say, “Sales cure all”, while that has some truth to it, when you are in a Service role, DON”T Sell! Instead provide value and the Sale will take care of itself. That is a one I see every Business Owner struggle with at some point of their business, in fact I just came back from a work trip where I was working with another business owner, and we had quite a lengthy conversation on that topic.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a hybrid of Personal Chef, Private Chef, and Personal / Business Consultant. In fact the question I get most often is “I’m not sure if you do this, but…”, and for the most part is Yes. It is the best blend of Art and Analytics that I have found.
Chef work, I do everything from Weekly Meals to weeks long Private Chef Sessions (sometimes traveling and setting up each location we’ll be staying in). So I work with my clients to identify their flavor profile, and restriction list, then I create from there. Some of the clients I also do all their celebration events, team building and even get requests to design based off their favorite games or movies. It is actually a ton of fun.
The Consulting side is just as fun.
For Personal Coaching we meet in the kitchen where they learn a recipe they want while talking through an issue they’ve been trying to get a breakthrough on. After years of working all over, I have seen quite a few things, so I just bring the attitude of “There is always a way through” it might not be glamorous, but we’ll get you to the next level.
Business Consulting can either be a small business trying to make a breakthrough, a larger company looking for team building, recipe writing or even market research for Food & Beverage Ops.
I believe what sets me apart is that I am rooted in Hospitality with everything I do, meaning you are getting my attention, time, and true desire to see you succeed. Over the years I have worked with many amazing people, and those conversations and focused energy that surrounds us while working together is such a fantastic positive driving force. Several of my past groups still do a check in and we still cheer each other on it our successes moving forward in our days.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
Parts of this industry are fairly easy to guess because some of it follows fitness trends, and those generally get repackaged, and presented as “new” about every 8-10 years.
Some of the challenges will be in the farming, sustainability, and what legislature allows. We are starting manufactured meats aka Lab Grown Meat or Cultivated, as well as other ingredients allowed in the US diet that the rest of the world is rejecting. This is part of the reason I teach so many Garden to Table Classes as well as a very basic Gardening Class. My goal is to inspire the next generations so we’re not losing touch with what we put in our bodies. To put it simply, our bodies are our temples and if we do not treat our bodies well or expect someone else to treat our bodies well, they will weather and crumble.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thechefjoe.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thechefjoe_dot_com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seattlechefjoe
