Founded by chef Patrick McCandless in 2017, Rambler started with a desire to bring people together in nature, reconnect them to their food sources, and enjoy thoughtful, elevated meals prepared over an open fire. When you join them at one of their events, you know that every detail has been thoughtfully put together: from the menu to the activities, music, and settings around you, all distilled into a lasting memory.
Patrick began his culinary career at the age of 14, and over the years, deepened his curiosity for the craft. He attended culinary school in Louisville, Kentucky where he then ventured around Europe and The United States honing his skills within the industry. In addition to holding various chef positions at restaurants across the country, Patrick has worked as a private chef in The Hamptons, a culinary consultant to restaurants and resorts, culinary liaison for tours and festivals, studied gastronomy in 12 countries including stints at smokehouses in Ireland and the Netherlands, and has been a guest chef at the famed James Beard House in NYC. He has also held multiple traveling chef positions performing hundreds of events working alongside Michelin-starred and James Beard Awarded chefs.
After moving to Nashville in 2016, he decided to create a concept that allowed him to be outdoors, in nature, and work with his passion for live-fire cooking, while still being able to create unique meals for guests. Influenced by McCandless' travels around the world, each Rambler event is uniquely crafted to bring people together - conversing, breaking bread, and spending time in nature, Rambler strives to deliver guests an unforgettable culinary experience in unique, outdoor settings.
Creating their very own professional, restaurant-quality mobile kitchen to execute events in remote locations has been a sought-after game changer; conceptualizing, designing, and building each piece of their custom wood cooking equipment has helped make his dreams of this company a reality.
When asked what it has meant to him to combine his passions for cooking and nature, Patrick shares, “It means a lot to me. It’s been a ton of hard work… we’re always developing new methods, new equipment… just always getting better at what we do.”
In addition to their public, ticketed events, Rambler also offers private events and catering; traveling all over the country to perform their services. Rambler also sells their very own line of custom, small-batch aprons hand-crafted right here in Nashville, TN. These were designed by chefs to be tough, durable, stand up to heavy use, and help protect from the high heat of cooking next to fire.
For more information visit their website www.ramblerevents.com or follow them on socials @rambler_events.
