Meet Chef Nathan Sowers

From just an early food interest while growing up in Chicago amidst the many ethnic restaurants and especially pizzerias to enjoying the fruits of a family wide food interest and experimentation, the seeds of love of the creative dish offering were planted early for Nathan.

Cultivating spice and invention, Nathan devoured the techniques of Jacques Pepin and “Chefs Around the World” and every televised chef instruction offering.  He courted Julie Child from his living room and started his own library of culinary cuisine.  Juggling career and family, Nathan continued to embrace his food interests at home, wrapping children in aprons and packing lunches with chocolate croissants. 

In 2002 with just a chance glance at a seemingly insignificant apprentice advertisement at a local French restaurant.  Nathan’s daring departure from the comforts of position to his pursuit of his growing passion was about to begin!

In 2004 Chef de Cuisine Michel Tersiguel and Chef Petr Hoffman gave Nathan the exposure to experience and the breadth of European cooking and techniques that would fuel his growing passion!  His introduction to the professional kitchen gave him the access and opportunity to fine tune his cooking skills, work all aspects of a professional kitchen, expand on his love of cooking and baking and encouraged him to begin his own a la minute Chef offerings in his catering company called Pressed for Thyme.

Nathan continued in his professional education as a student of the Academie and found his way to New England to King Arthur to study with Certified Master Baker Jeffery Hamelman, former captain for team USA at Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie “ Super Bowl of Baking”   and all that the baking giant had to offer in its professional baking course series’.  All at once, a baker was born!

As the delights of dough took hold in Nathan, he worked to convince Chef Michel to create the 40 year award winning restaurant’s first bread bakery.  Nathan’s French country loaf and baguette quickly took hold as the staple at every table, would soon be offered for daily purchase at a local café Nathan was a partner in, and ultimately, expand to a wide variety selling hundreds at a weekly community farmers market.

Nathan’s love of bakery and cuisine continues while he is currently Boulanger at Tersiguels French County restaurant, Chef instructor at La Academie de Cuisine in Gaithersburg MD, and owner operator of River House Pizza Co. in Historic Ellicott City MD.

Don’t stand still….Listen, Eat & Enjoy!

Watch Chef Nathan’s story