The Healthy Chef Vol 2. Issue 6 - Chef Cash Murphy

My pride and joy is Lumberjack’s Taco Shack. Arizona’s most award winning Custom Shop hand-crafted street taco Truck specializing in new Sonoran Street Tacos and Grilled Mexican Corn. Our newest addition to the food truck family is Hots & Hydro’s, the world’s first Enchilada Style Hot Dogs. With 16 awards and counting, an appearance on the Food Network, the creation of my YouTube Channel Cooking With Cash, and operation in 2 states, I have finally turned my dreams passion into reality. It was a long path to accomplish these accolades…..

On December 14, 2010 I was involved in a car accident that took the life of my roommate, and left me in a wheelchair for a year. Before the accident I was on the path to achieve all my dreams that I had set in my life. I had conquered goals to create a band that went on tour, was on TV and the radio, had a studio, and a house with a pool. The American dream. I had achieved so much, wanted so much more, and it all came crashing down in an instant.

In the first year after my car accident I had eight surgeries, and still average one a year to this date. Having all of your dreams taken away in an single moment is one of the hardest things a person could ever deal with. The first feeling aside from pain is loneliness. Then comes the why me, what did I do to deserve this, why am I in a wheelchair? Then comes the answer, which is that there is no answer. Only a question of what do I do now? In a single moment my life changed forever.

Questioning, “Why me?” Lead to the the question, “Why am I alive and my friend isn’t?” And I knew what that answer was, Food. I’ve been given the gift of creativity and a second opportunity at life. When it comes to music, food, writing, directing, creating, I knew that I had to use that gift for a bigger purpose. I can change someone’s day for the better with a single bite, I have served my purpose.

Sitting in a wheelchair alone, stuck in the house for a year, gives you a lot of time to think. I knew that I wanted to travel, that I wanted to feed people, and that I had to figure out a way to do both. That’s where the idea for my first food truck came to be. The goal - Create a business that I can travel with, make food and music, all rolled into the same package. So I built my first food truck named Lumberjack’s Taco Shack, after my stage name for music Lumberjack Cash. By using the connections I had made in the music industry, I was able to create new opportunities for food in areas outside of my home state. Utilizing those connections I have now opened Lumberjack’s Taco Shack for the last five summer seasons in the town of Sturgeon Bay, Wi.

We started with a Thursday night Pop-Up for 8 weeks at a sports bar/ music venue called The Bricklot Pub and Grill. The next season we expanded into a different town doing a breakfast taco Pop-Up and followed up the next with a small cart to test the waters. For the last 2 seasons we have had our food truck open and expanded the length of stay to 3 1/2 months. Remember nothing happens overnight, except the ideas. It starts with an, and then the difficult part of execution. How do you work on an idea or a project when your feeling down? Personally when I’m feeling down, I’ll make myself something to eat and I’ll feel better. A simple idea, but if I can fix my happiness temporary with something delicious, then I can fix someone else’s too. And we all know what happens when we’re hungry, we get frustrated, irritable, and hangry. A quick fix to get the ball rolling. Have a snack and get creating. (Hanger When Hunger Breeds Anger)

A lot of times you’ll hear other people say, “If I can do it, you can to!” That statement is 100% true. All it takes is an idea and belief in yourself to create a new outlet for the life you want to lead. My car accident has left me permanently injured but I don’t let that stop me. Pain is something that everyone deals with and cooking is my coping mechanism. It hurts to stand, it hurts to walk, it hurts to bend, and lean, and clean. To me PAIN IS POWER! PAIN IS POWER! I’ll say that one more time PAIN IS POWER. Without my pain I would be nowhere near where I am today. My pain is my fuel, and food is my vehicle. So the next time you’re too sore to go to work, or you’re just feeling down. Remember that someone has it worse than you. You have the ability to turn those feelings into positivity.

On one hand I live with chronic pain, on the other hand I can stand on my own. You are the only person that has the strength to overcome your weaknesses, and turn them into gold. I say gold instead of steel. Steel is hard, steel is cold steel, steel is stiff. Gold on the other hand is strong and weak, stiff yet flexible, sturdy yet malleable. Gold is therefore more relatable to the common chef than steel. Plus who doesn’t love gold! I am gold and so are you.

Next time you’re just not feeling it, walk outside and stretch for 30 seconds. Don’t give yourself the task of stretching for 5 or 30 minutes. Start with 30 seconds, that’s a simple task. And the idea of that is the initiative, when you start something for 30 seconds you will always give yourself more. 30 seconds leads to one minute, 1 to 5, 5 to 10, so on and so forth. So on the days you’re feeling down just step outside. (The Power of Setting Measurable Goals) Maybe you’ll get a new idea. Maybe you’ll come up with a recipe as your head hovers over the ground or maybe nothing will happen. What you did do was take the initiative. And minimalistic change creates massive opportunities.

*All content found on this newsletter, including text, images, audio, or other formats were created for informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this newsletter. If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor, go to the emergency department, or call 911 immediately. The Healthy Chef and/or Culinarylove.org does not recommend or endorse any specific tests, physicians, products, procedures, opinions, or other information that may be mentioned on The Healthy Chef Newsletter. Reliance on any information provided by The Healthy Chef Newsletter, is solely at your own risk.