Keynote Speaker
COPLAC and SOU are honored to introduce Chad Paeglow, the Keynote Speaker for the 2008 Annual Meeting.
Chad Paeglow is General Manager for Bon Appetit Management Company at Google in Mountain View, California.
At the age of 13, Chad Paeglow became intensely interested in three activities that would direct the next era of his life: cooking, reading, and surfing. This unusual mix of pastimes would lead Chad toward an interest in the environment and eventually a concern about the future of food production in the world. Growing up in New York and New England during the 1980s, Chad did not witness much regard for the source of food supplies, but rather on which grocery store had the cheapest iceberg lettuce.
Being a surfer, Chad spent a lot of time bobbing in the ocean and talking to others who shared his concern for the health of the ocean and estuaries. He found himself in conversation about hospital waste and syringes, sea turtles and plastic six pack holders, and storm runoff from farms and sewage treatment plants. Spending his summers in Southern Maine, a few miles from the Rachel Carson Preserve, Chad found it natural to pick up The Sea around Us and Silent Spring. The combination of his time in the water and reading a portion of the Environmental Canon resulted in a lasting drive to do his part to help the environment. Initially this drive was manifested in simple things like picking garbage up off the beach, not running the water while brushing his teeth, and a two year stint as a vegetarian. At this point Chad really did not realize how influential food choices would be in his life.
Having an interest in food and cooking, Chad began his career in restaurants washing dishes as soon as he was eligible to work. Over the next six summers Chad furthered his culinary skills at various local restaurants in Southern Maine. Chad attended New York University where he was exposed to the culinary treats of the big city. He graduated from New York University with a Bachelor of Arts in Urban design and Development. Two years later he moved to Santa Cruz, California to spend a year surfing and cooking. One year stretched to two, two to three, and then to a decade.
Like many cooks, Chad would spend a year in a kitchen and then move on to work with another chef. As he honed his culinary skills, he was inculcated in the Eat Local, Eat Fresh concepts prevalent in central California food circles. He spent the next several years visiting farmers’ markets, tending gardens, and cooking seasonal dishes. Working in this community, Chad developed a broader appreciation of how connected food production, water usage, and petroleum are in the modern world living.
In 2002, Chad accepted an Executive Chef position with Bon Appetit Management Company. He has spent the past six years growing with this company, helping realize a variety of sustainable food initiatives and educating his customers about food.
He lives in Santa Cruz, California with his wife Suzanne, enjoying food and the outdoors.
