For over a decade, Chef Devin Lawrence has dedicated himself to inspiring connection to the present moment, self, others, culture, and the earth by bringing people together through sharing food. Originally drawn to cooking while living in the village-inspired cooperative communities of Davis, California, he learned by necessity the craft of making delicious food out of the abundance of vegetables produced by a town immersed in, and sustained by, organic farming. An avid fisherman since age five, he’s traveled the world - from Spain to Patagonia, from Canada’s interior to the heart of Mexico - learning each region’s unique cuisines and food-ways. After spending many years living and honing his culinary craft abroad, Devin now focuses on working with the terroir of California and the vast array of ingredients that the coastlines, forests, and mountains have to offer. He has lived on farms and in intentional communities for over a dozen years, influenced by the Old World traditions passed down from generation to generation: homesteading, farming, and land-based ecological stewardship, with the goal of human interaction having an overall positive impact on the landscape.
Devin raises sheep and pigs and is an active educator who is reframing the way our culture relates to and consumes ruminant animals - a bridge between shepherds, ranchers, and everyday cooks and lovers of food. He enjoys teaching about the myriad benefits of regeneratively managed animal presence on land, helping people understand that “It’s not the cow, it’s the how” and that through mindfully rotating animals’ grazing, we can work with them to promote the health of our soils, watersheds, and grasslands.
After living in Argentina and apprenticing in the way of the asado, Devin now offers interactive experiences cooking whole animals over open fire, from slaughter to organ processing, fire tending, and ultimately tanning of the hide, utilizing all parts of the animal. He is the Executive Chef of Primary Stakeholder, a collective of chefs and farmers providing whole animal barbecue, animal processing workshops, educational offerings, and large-scale catering. Devin loves meticulously cooking meat, has a heavy hand with the salt, and always enjoys a good story by the fire.
