Meet Craig Madden | Gardener/Chef

We had the good fortune of connecting with Craig Madden and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Craig, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
I really like this question. I became an urban gardener after nearly ten years in the restaurant industry, working as a chef. That life consumed me. In order to be successful in that industry you need to be married to it. Toward the end of my culinary career I was forced to make some tough decisions about balance. I had no time to spend with my family at home. My wife and I hardly saw each other, I felt like I was missing much of my daughter’s toddler years and I was miserable. I learned a tough lesson in work/life balance. I could not possibly be the person I needed to be in the kitchen without sacrificing nearly all of my time to myself and my family.

When I started Yard to Table Creations in 2017 I forced myself to keep my work/life balance more equal. I built my company with this idea in mind. I decided to build in the time I needed with my family and for myself first and built my work schedule around that time. Work is important and we all want to be successful, but I knew that building a successful company at the expense of my family was no success at all. As important as work is, going to the gym, having game night with my wife and daughter and spending time maintaining friendships are equally as important.

A successful business on it’s own does not equal happiness. Work is merely 1 facet of my life, that if done well helps to contribute to happiness. All of the other many facets of my life also contribute to happiness. The quality of my life is clearly determined by how well all of those pieces fit together.

What should our readers know about your business?
Yard to Table Creations was born out of my love of food and my distain for our very broken food system. As a chef, I began gardening at home so that I could cook the freshest produce and I had a growing desire to live more sustainably in regards to the food in our house. Cooking good food has always been important to our family and I have extended that knowledge into my business. The combination of growing and cooking your own food is one of the most primal satisfactions in life and I want everyone else to experience this with me. In the beginning days of my business I realized that the two biggest hurdles for most people were 1) successfully growing the food and 2) being able to use everything that is grown, when it’s ready. Many of the people who start a garden for the first time do so thinking this will be easy. Like any perishable skill, it needs to be studied, learned and practiced. Many will plant a garden and then realize that they don’t know what to do after planting and the garden will die. Many will successfully grow the garden and then are faced with a huge load of produce that can be overwhelming. I was a chef for years so fifty pounds of tomatoes isn’t intimidating. Most people don’t have the experience to know how to deal with large amounts produce like a professional cook does. Failure in this way is disheartening and is often enough to make a person give up on gardening. I feel that teaching people to grow the food is important, but is only half of the equation. Making the most of your hard earned garden produce in the kitchen is just as important and delicious! I believe that helping my clients become confident in the kitchen is the most useful part of my business and is what makes Yard to Table Creations special.

These skills are not rocket science but, like any skill, it is not easy. Running a business is NEVER easy. Running a business doing what you love is definitely easier, but by no means easy. Owning your own business is a never ending puzzle that always needs some solving. I enjoy the challenge of running a business. For me, the biggest challenge was learning to be my own boss. Prior to Yard to Table Creations, I had always been an employee. For the first time I had the ability to write my own schedule, manage my own time how I saw fit and was solely responsible for everything. That’s scary. Learning to be completely self motivated and staying disciplined were tough at first, but by creating a solid framework of responsibilities, scheduling absolutely everything, and creating accountability for myself I have been able to get better at this. It still is and likely always will be (to some extent) something I battle. Owning a business is a bit chaotic. Staying organized and ahead of the game has become my personal mission in business and in life.

As my business has grown I feel I have grown, as well. Running a business is uniquely humbling and can be a tough pill to swallow. I have learned to let my business be a mirror for me, much in the way that my daughter is a reflection of me and my behavior. If something isn’t going well in my business, it’s my fault. Always. By not fearing failure and learning from my inevitable mistakes I am able to grow. By accepting this and leaning into it I feel I have become not just a better business owner, but a better person. I am lucky enough to be doing something I am truly passionate about so the day to day work doesn’t feel too tough. Accepting my failures, learning from them and moving on is by far the most important lesson I’ve learned from running a small business.

The mission for Yard to Table Creations to create a community. I took the approach of putting my community first and making money second on the priority list. Working as a chef always felt selfish to me and ultimately I couldn’t do it any longer. I wanted to do something that let me feel like I am leaving things better than when I showed up. I wanted to better my community through what I knew best, food. The garden is a gathering place, just like our kitchens are. Kitchens and gardens are where community comes together. I feel that through food we can always find common ground, enjoy each others company and be a happier community.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We live in the best city!!! We have so many things to do here and the real trouble is getting to all of them in one week. Obviously, we have to go to the beach. I find the ocean humbling and majestic. I’ve never lived in a place that didn’t have a beach and I don’t want to. It’s one of my happy places and sharing that with someone is always fun.

Our local mountains are another favorite place to be. We, in our family, are avid hikers. Hiking in the Cuyamaca or Laguna Mountains is a must. A trip up to the Palomar Mountain Observatory is always on the list, as well.

The San Diego Botanic Garden in Encinitas is a stunning place to visit. To walk amongst some of the rarest and most beautiful plants in the world is an experience worth having.

After all of the adventuring there is to do here we are going to be hungry and ready for a well deserved drink. A trip to Garden Kitchen in Rolondo is my go to. Chef Coral is one of the only chefs cooking true farm to table cuisine. She makes some of the most delicious food I have ever eaten, sourcing her ingredients form local farmers and providing some of the best local wine and beer around.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I dedicate my success to the support of my amazing wife. She is the anchor of our family and I could not do this without her. My family, friends and the most amazing group of humans that I get to call my clients deserve all the credit in the world. Without them I have nothing and I love them immensely.

Website: yardtotablecreations.com

Instagram: yard2table_creations

Facebook: Yard to Table Creations