Meet Chris Amendola

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Chris Amendola. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Chris below.

Hi Chris, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

I found my purpose really early, before I even had the words for it—I just knew I wanted to cook and be a chef. Watching shows like *Great Chefs of the World/France completely hooked me, and then actually being in the kitchen with my family made it feel real. I’d help make dinner, bake chocolate chip cookies whenever I could, and it never felt like a chore—more like this is what I’m supposed to be doing.

I leaned into that feeling and started culinary school at 15, graduating at 18. From there, each job helped sharpen what mattered most to me: food that’s connected to place, seasons, and people. That’s when foraging and working with local farms became the heart of it. Years later, opening my first restaurant was the moment it all clicked—my purpose wasn’t just cooking, it was creating an experience that tells a story about where we are and what’s growing around us.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I’m the chef/owner of foraged. a hyper-seasonal eatery in Baltimore, MD. We cook strictly with what’s in season—and we like to say there are 52 seasons a year, because every week brings something new to get excited about.

The best part for me is chasing those first moments: the first strawberries, the first tomatoes—when they’re perfect, they’re unreal, and I wait all year for that taste. In the spring and summer, we preserve a ton for the colder months, so winter still feels bright—like opening little time capsules of the year and putting them back on the table.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

For me, three things made the biggest difference:

1. Craft + knowledge: really learning how to cook, what grows when, and how to forage. That foundation is everything.
2. Passion: actually caring deeply about the work—because you’re going to need that on the hard days.
3. Relentless drive: I’m stubborn about the goal. If I set my mind to something, I keep going until it happens.

For anyone early in the journey: it’s going to be hard—probably harder than you expect—but that’s normal. Show up every day, stay curious, learn from people who are better than you, and **don’t quit when it gets uncomfortable**. Consistency is what wins.

How would you spend the next decade if you somehow knew that it was your last?

If I knew I only had 10 years left, I’d spend the first five finishing what I started—seeing my vision all the way through and hitting that last big life dream. I’d double down on the work, get things to a place I felt proud of, and make sure what I’ve built could stand on its own without me.

The next five years, I’d slow down. I’d step back and actually enjoy the world I helped create—spend real time with the people I love, eat good food, be outside more, travel a bit, and be present. I’d want those last years to feel less like a grind and more like a thank-you tour with the people who mattered most.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.foragedeatery.com
• Instagram: @foraged.eatery
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/foragedeatery