From Broken Back to MasterChef: The Chef Out West Story

He broke his back snowboarding, got stuck on his couch, and found the Food Network. Thirteen minutes after submitting his MasterChef application, a producer called him. And he never slowed down from there. Josh Gale is the founder and private chef behind The Chef Out West, a Canadian food creator and MasterChef and Beat Bobby Flay veteran whose bold, unapologetic, in-your-face food philosophy has taken the internet by storm. After years of corporate tech sales, a decade running restaurants in Vancouver, and a string of celebrity private cheffing gigs, Josh committed fully to content creation at the start of 2025, posting six pieces of content a week for three months. Two months in, a high-protein pistachio ice cream video went to a million views overnight. Everything changed.In this episode, host Sarah Perkins sits down with Josh for a conversation that is as bold and energetic as his food. From buttered noodles and Shake 'N Bake in a non-food family to obsessing over Jamie Oliver's 30 Minute Meals on his couch, to accidentally building a 100,000 person Facebook following he didn't even know existed, to partnering with his life partner Mackenzie to run one of the most exciting creator businesses in the food space right now. Josh is building a business that lets him play hockey twice a week, go camping on summer weekends, and never miss a birthday again. And his food is an exercise in maximalism the whole way through.In this episode, we cover:Growing up in a non-food family and not discovering food until his 20sSix years in corporate tech sales and the square peg, round hole feelingBreaking his back snowboarding and finding the Food Network on his couchObsessing over Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsay, and Bobby Flay during recoveryCooking every day, feeding his friends, and building an early Instagram followingGetting called 13 minutes after submitting his MasterChef applicationQuitting his job before he even went on the showMasterChef as a kid in a candy store moment and total confirmationThe origin of The Chef Out West nameBeat Bobby Flay and the lobster-stuffed ravioli with crispy capers that judge Christian Petroni called an exercise in maximalismA decade running restaurants in Vancouver from cook to head chefPrivate cheffing for celebrities and saying yes to everyone except himselfWhy saying yes to every client in 2024 felt exactly like being back in a restaurantCommitting to content creation at the start of 2025 with a three-month deadlineThe high-protein pistachio ice cream video that went to a million views overnightKorean marinated eggs on rice and the momentum that built from thereThe three revenue streams powering The Chef Out West: brand deals, Facebook and YouTube view monetization, and website ad revenueAccidentally discovering 100,000 Facebook followers and the passive income that followedMackenzie and the creative-technical partnership that makes everything workThe digital cookbook planned for end of 2025 and the print cookbook to followDoing only one or two things at a time really well as a key operating standardBuilding a business around a life, not a life around a businessAdvice for founders: start the thing, film the content, make today day oneFind Josh and The Chef Out West:Website: thechefoutwest.com (burger blueprint, recipes, stories)Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok: @thechefoutwestCrispy Edges: their insider communitySubscribe to The Perfect Bite podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen! Want to watch the entire episode? Head here to our YouTube!You can follow us on social media @perfectbitepod and sign up for our newsletter!