Hi, I’m Craig

A San Diego Chef, Turned Gardener.

After leaving a career in carpentry and home remodeling, due to the housing crash in 2008, I thought to myself, if I am going to be broke and out of work, now is the time to pursue a passion, That passion was cooking and I dove right in and became a San Diego chef. I cooked all over the city in all types of cuisine. It didn’t take long before the natural questions that come along with learning about food began to pop in my head. “Why is this food so expensive?”, “Why does it matter where my food comes from and where can I get the best produce?”

As I enthusiastically searched for answers, more questions mounted. It doesn´t take much imagination before a serious cook starts a garden. My thought was that if I have control of my food from the beginning, it must taste better? The answer is yes, provided you know what you’re doing.

I killed everything at first. I had no idea what I was doing and planted all the wrong things, in the wrong soil, at the wrong time. I didn’t know what went wrong or why, but with some encouragement from a friend, whom I trusted in this field, I continued on. I read a few gardening books and put my new knowledge to work and wouldn´t you know it, I grew tomatoes! With my success, I was hooked and applied my carpentry skills in building a bunch of garden boxes and got to growing an edible garden. Most things grew well and some failed, but I trudged on. 

As my gardening life took over my psyche, I realized that the chef life wasn´t for me anymore, but the passion for food still burned strong. With my desire to garden and my passion for food, the idea of sharing my experiences with others began to cultivate.

One day, while having a conversation with my wife about how can we get kids at a young age to develop a fun, and inclusive relationship with food? The answer, it all starts with a home garden.

Realizing I have the carpentry skills to build your garden, the gardening skills to grow your garden and the cooking skills to make use of what you grow. It was a no-brainer. Thus, Yard to Table Creations was born.

Hand-picked fresh ideas delivered to your inbox.

Receive awesome tips on growing your own garden.