Chef: 'My career is as rewarding as it is destructive'

Gretchen Hanson's life has been full of pivotal moments and exhilarating experiences that have led her to her true calling.

She is the executive chef and owner of Hobos restaurant in Rehoboth Beach. And while she has finally found peace, her journey to happiness was one full of chaos and sacrifices.

Here she opens up about how she wound up at the beach, her parents' lack of support for her dreams and how living in New York City almost killed her.

Did you always dream of becoming a chef?

No, I didn't choose to be a chef. This life chose me. Honestly, I don't think any sane person would choose this kind of life. Sure, you dream about getting to cook amazing food for a living, but it comes at a high price. The life of a chef is full of endless days and sleepless nights, unprecedented highs and lows and very little time for family or friends. It is a career that is as rewarding as it is destructive. But it's my passion. Just like an artist needs paint and canvas, I need a kitchen with ingredients.

What was your childhood like?

I grew up in Southern California with old-school parents. Cooking was "cute," but they never supported that idea of a lifestyle for their daughter. I was raised to believe whatever career I might have, it would come second to my husband and his work. I was brought up to behave like a young lady, even though I was usually covered in flour or pasta sauce.

Was that hard for you?

Yes, but at the end of the day I still wanted to please them. I ended up going to Columbia University to study pre-med. Becoming a nurse or doctor was ideal. Becoming a chef was not. It's funny now, because I ignored so many signs pointing to my true calling. I mean, I pulled a chair up to the stove when I was 2. I've been professionally cooking since I was 12. I've tried so many other things but nothing ever took. I barely finished my first year at Columbia because I kept sneaking out of class to go work in New York City restaurants. I thought about recipes instead of my homework, all the while telling myself that cooking was just going to be a hobby and working in restaurants would only be temporary.

Did you decide to move back to California?

I actually decided to stay at Columbia but I switched my major to philosophy — probably one of the best decisions I've ever made. I became very spiritual and was surrounded by brilliant people. I paid my way by working in amazing restaurants, learning as much as I could. I lived with my best friend who was vegan. I cooked for her all the time, trying out new recipes and experimenting with unique ingredients. Her lifestyle was very appealing but I thought it couldn't work for me. I thought it would be incompatible with my profession. She kept telling me that I could do both but I just didn't want to listen. Several years later, I woke up one morning and decided I was just going to do it. I've been vegan for seven years now.

Does a vegan lifestyle make your job difficult?

In some ways yes, but it has helped more than it has hindered. Because my lifestyle preferences are often judged, I wanted to create a restaurant where there would be no judgment. Families have to compromise on so much. Finding a place to come together to share a meal shouldn't be one of them. And despite my personal preferences, I wanted my restaurant to serve all the dishes that I still enjoy cooking and had previously loved to eat — even ones that included meat. I cook by smell, I cook from memory and I still cook with love. Everything at Hobos is healthy, freshly prepared and suitable to each individual. We buy produce from local farmers as well as work with local fishermen, chicken, beef and pig farmers. Our meat and animal products are grown for us in cage-free, hormone-free, antibiotic-free and cruelty-free environments. Lack of harm has always been extremely important to me. To me, being vegan is not about sacrifice but about making a deliberate choice every day to live a certain way. I wish I had understood that when I lived in New York.

What was it like working in New York City?

I got addicted to a very destructive lifestyle. I worked hard and partied like a rock star. I think many young chefs find themselves susceptible to substance abuse, especially in a busy city. You get off the line at the end of the night and feel like you're on top of the world. How are you supposed to sleep? So you go out, party and drink a lot of alcohol to come down from your high. After you finally fall asleep, you wake up and do cocaine, or whatever, to be able to function for another night on the line. I got sucked into this never-ending vicious cycle. I knew my destructive habits were eventually going to kill me. When I turned 25 I told myself that I could either have a "normal" chef life or I could do drugs. I chose the normal life, even though my life is far from what most people would call normal.

How so?

Well, I work hours opposite to most of the world. Relationships and marriages have greatly suffered because of my career. I do not get to see my two girls nearly as much as I would like. I leave for work when they are coming home from school, and most nights I get home long after they've gone to bed. It's hard on me. Being a mom who is also a chef is extremely hard on a family. My job needs me for every summer, every weekend and every holiday. What's Mother's Day? To me, that's the day I make brunch for 200 people.

How has your family overcome these obstacles?

We do the best we can. For a long time, my eldest hated the restaurant and what it stood for — me not always being around. She loathes the industry but she loves me. She's starting to understand. They both are. They often have dinner with me at the restaurant and have started helping out. My eldest hosts, legally, now that she is 15. She is so charming and naturally gifted with people. She wants to be a lawyer or politician. I know she is going to do great things. My youngest, who is 9, is my sous chef for the cooking class series I teach during the offseason. She is always so eager to help me. She is so bright and carefree. I love them both so much.

Why did you decide to open a restaurant in Rehoboth?

I planned a two-year sabbatical for my girls and I back in 2008. We were going to see the world, travel light and mingle with locals, embracing different cultures as we explored. I sold our house, the cars and my business. At the time I was running my own event planning company. Not being wildly successful at the marriage game, I had two baby daddies to clear my travel plans with but everything was set. We were weeks away from leaving when the stock market crashed. No one saw it coming. I was devastated. I lost practically everything. That same month, my grandmother was diagnosed with Parkinson's. Those days were very dark for me. The only thing I had left was my beach house in Rehoboth. So I retreated to the beach to lick my wounds. I sulked for months, telling myself I wasn't supposed to be here, it was not my destiny, it was all a terrible mistake. After months of listening to my pity party, my youngest's father finally snapped and said, "Well, if you are here then obviously it's where you are supposed to be. It is what it is. Get a grip. Get a restaurant. Call it Hobos. And move on." That's exactly what I did.

hcarroll2@dmg.gannett.com

410-845-6828

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If You Go:

Hobos Restaurant and Bar

Where: 56 Rehoboth Ave., Rehoboth Beach

Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily

Call: 302-226-2226

Visit:http://www.myhobos.com