Chad Christian Clift – Three Things to Take Care of before You Travel Abroad

Chad Christian Clift loves to travel whenever his busy schedule allows him to. As the head chef, founder, and owner of Swanky’s in Mossy Rock, a busy community restaurant, Clift has a busy schedule, but he still makes time to get out and see the world whenever possible. He sees traveling as a part of his life and he hopes that he can continue to travel throughout the world as he moves ever closer to retirement. Here are three things Clift always takes care of before he leaves the United States:

Chad Christian Clift

  • Passport. These documents expire and need to be renewed from time to time. Chad Christian Clift had a passport since he was 18, but he always makes sure that it is always active and ready to be used to purchase international flight tickets. No one wants to wait a few weeks for their documentation and delay their flight plans.
  • Currency exchanges. If you have to, find out the best way and timing to get your US cash exchanged for local currency. Sometimes, as Chad Christian Clift has found out, it’s easier to make this exchange after you land in another country; sometimes it’s easier to do it before you leave.
  • Immunizations. To travel to certain places, you’ll need a cocktail of immunizations. Make sure you leave yourself enough time to get these shots and get the recommended care before you book your flights.

Chad Christian Clift has traveled around the world. As someone who considers himself a world citizen, he knows how to prepare for international trips everywhere.

 

Chad Christian Clift – Experienced Skydiver

Chad Christian Clift has gone skydiving many times since he has returned to his hometown of Mossy Rock, Washington in 2001. Clift moved to New York City after he graduated from high school in Mossy Rock to be a chef. He earned his Culinary Arts degree from Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in New York and started his career as a chef there before returning. He opened Swanky’s in Mossy Rock as a community restaurant catering to all residents of the small town. To relieve stress and set his mind at ease, he goes skydiving high above the beautiful Olympic Peninsula in Washington.

Chad Christian Clift

Chad Christian Clift tells his friends and family to skydive as much as possible. Still, he encounters resistance from people who say they are afraid of heights or are otherwise concerned with the safety of such a way of relieving stress. While skydiving isn’t for everyone, Chad Christian Clift insists that most people who can go up on a plane without having a panic attack should try it at least once in their lives. Skydiving offers views of the world that no other activity can afford. Instead of peering out of your tiny window from your seat on a commercial flight, you can be in the air experiencing the sky for yourself. It’s actually quite safe. Skydiving instructors are specifically trained to help people get over their anxiety and land safely on the ground.

Chad Christian Clift constantly recommends skydiving to anyone who will listen. He hopes that his efforts will lead more people to experience jumping out of an airplane for themselves.

 

Chad Christian Clift – Three Essential Items When Hiking

A native Washingtonian, Chad Christian Clift grew up hiking the many trails near his childhood home in Mossy Rock, Washington, on the Olympic Peninsula, home to the Hoh Rainforest, Olympic National Park, and many natural areas leading to Puget Sound on the east, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. Clift left the area after high school but returned to open his own restaurant in his hometown, and he continues to hike through the area with his son Terry whenever possible. Here are three items Clift always brings with him on his natural adventures:

Chad Christian Clift

  • Water. Even if you hike in wet areas like the Hoh Rainforest like Chad Christian Clift, you’ll always need to bring plenty of water with you. It’s important to stay hydrated and bring more than enough water for your planned hike in case you have to spend more time in the bush than expected.
  • Binoculars. Chad Christian Clift always brings a pair of binoculars with him wherever he goes hiking. They are lightweight, easy to pack, and they allow him to spot wildlife more easily. Seeing wildlife is a large part of the reasons why Clift and so many other hikers around the world go outdoors.
  • Snacks. Food is sometimes risky to bring on shorter hikes because it could attract unwanted animals in certain areas. Still, if you get stranded, it could be the difference between life and death. Just make sure you store your food smartly and always pack out your trash.

Chad Christian Clift is the owner of Swanky’s in Mossy Rock.

 

Chad Christian Clift – Founder and Owner of Swanky’s in Mossy Rock, Washington

Chad Christian Clift is the founder, owner, and head chef of Swanky’s in the small town of Mossy Rock, Washington. Clift trained as a chef in New York City, where he earned a degree in Culinary Arts from Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts. He worked with many experienced and skilled chefs until he had the skills to match his mentors. Instead of beginning a promising career in New York as a chef, Clift returned home to serve his neighbors and family in the town he grew up in. To that end, Clift founded Swanky’s, a community restaurant serving top-notch gourmet food to everyone in the community regardless of status or income.

Chad Christian Clift

Chad Christian Clift is first and foremost a chef. He rotates the specials on his menus and changes them from top to bottom regularly, like many of the top restaurants in New York. His ingredients are locally sourced and he never settles for second-best for his customers. Chad Christian Clift is also a community organizer working to empower the working poor in his community. He offers his gourmet food to anyone willing to work in his restaurant to pay for their food. He employs as many full-time workers as possible in the community, and sources other labors for his organization to those who need a place to enjoy a hot meal but can’t afford the menu prices.

At Swanky’s Chad Christian Clift ensures that everyone is treated with equal respect and dignity, no matter their economic status.

 

Chad Christian Clift’s Favorite Meals for Kids and Families

Successful chef Chad Christian Clift loves cooking for his young daughter, and as a busy chef and single parent, is always looking for easy and quick meals to make that are also nutritious and tasty. Over the years, he has found many great dishes to serve kids that do not take too much time to make, but still give children everything they need to stay healthy and keep growing. Clift has even been adding fun and innovative dishes for kids to the menus at the restaurants where he works.

Chad Christian Clift
Chad Christian Clift
  • A fun Asian dish that kids love is Teriyaki chicken and rice. This dish can easily be made in a slow cooker or in the oven, and both kids and parents love the distinct and salty flavor of Teriyaki sauce. Chicken provides kids with much-needed protein, while rice is a healthy way to add carbohydrates to the meal.
  • Another fun and easy snack that kids will go crazy over is pot stickers. They can be made with both chicken or pork, and there are many high-quality versions readily available at the grocery store if you don’t have time to make your own. Pair them with some grilled vegetables and rice for a healthy but delicious meal.
  • Instead of making pizza, why not make eggplant parmesan? Kids will still get the yummy taste of tomato sauce and cheese, but without the grease or the heavy crust. Eggplant is also an easy way for kids to get their vegetables.

Chad Christian Clift loves making these and many other fun and easy dishes to enjoy with his daughter.

The World’s Most Consumed Food with Chad Christian Clift

Seattle Chef Chad Christian Clift knows the value of rice, which happens to be the most consumed food in the entire world. This grain is most often harvested as a cereal, before it is dried and sold. It is estimated that one fifth of the total calories eaten by a human each year comes directly from rice. With numbers that high, it is shocking to think where the world would be without this important grain. Rice was domesticated nearly fourteen thousand years ago, and has provided nutrition and sustenance to the world for as long as it has been grown.

Chad Christian Clift

Around the globe, there are over 40,000 different strains of rice, so many that it is nearly impossible to keep track of the various types. Many countries have their own varieties and species, each with traits that are needed or useful for the people of that particular nation. Bangladesh has forty different varieties of rice that are grown readily in the country, and Indonesia grows more than seventy different varieties. While there are so many different types, there are only a handful that are well known and readily used in the western world. These include long grain rice, basmati rice, white jasmine rice, and risotto rice. Other common varieties are dark wild rice, black rice, red cargo rice, and brown short grain rice. As a Chef, Chad Christian Clift has yet to find a strain of rice that he does not love cooking with or eating.

Joining a Bowling League with Chad Christian Clift

Bowling is a social sport that Seattle Chef Chad Christian Clift is very fond of. He tries to spend as much of his free time as possible perfecting his technique and game. He has found that joining a bowling league is a very rewarding decision. While there are some people who prefer to bowl by themselves, maybe to practice certain throws or placements, the game of bowling is really meant for human interaction. This is ironic, as play of the game is only dependent upon the player, the ball, and the lane itself.

Chad Christian Clift

For new bowlers, joining a league can be intimidating. Unless you are an absolute natural at the game and continually break triple digits, it can be scary showing others that you are not the ideal bowler, yet. The best thing to do, according to Clift, is to look around the local bowling alleys and get a feel for the leagues that are already in existence. Remember, it is not only the league members that you need to be comfortable with, but also the bowling alley itself. If the alley is too crowded, too noisy, or set up poorly, you may not want to join a league there. Once you have found an alley that you are comfortable with, then start talking to the league members. Chad Christian Clift reports that a good bowling alley will have its own league coordinator, who can tell you which leagues have open positions.

Seattle Chef Chad Christian Clift on the Importance of Soup in History

As a recognized Chef in the city of Seattle, Chad Christian Clift has learned to adore soup, and all that it stands for in our history. This liquid based meal has roots dating back over twenty two thousand years. There are few foods, of any sort, that can boast such a long and prosperous history. Throughout much of its life, soup was a meal made out of necessity. Ancient peoples created soups because they had no other way to heat or cook their ingredients, thus the items were boiled in water. In later parts of soup’s history, dishes were created to extend the ingredients that a family had on hand. Both of these concepts have helped to give soup the identity of a comfort food, something that a mother or grandmother would make at home. It was not until the last three centuries that soup started to be viewed as a possible gourmet item. Now, every restaurant in the world usually offers at least one type of soup on their menu.

Chad Christian Clift

Regionally, there are many famous soups found around the world. In fact, every country has at least one variety of soup that is popular and incredibly common. In the Asian countries, Bird’s Nest Soup and Banh Canh are seen as delicacies. Chad Christian Clift says that whether you are enjoying a bowl of Bouillabaisse from France, Tarhana soup from Persia, or Gazpacho from Spain, you are enjoying a people’s history with each bite.

Chad Christian Clift Offers his Best Kitchen Tip

Seattle Chef Chad Christian Clift has worked in the Culinary Arts for decades. His extensive training and work experience in and out of the kitchen has earned him a positive reputation in the upper northwest of the United States. Over the years, Clift has developed a set of tips and techniques that not only make his daily kitchen adventures easier, but are applicable to many home cooks.

Chad Christian Clift
Chad Christian Clift

According to Clift, one of the most important tips for cooking a successful meal is the need to stay organized. A well thought out recipe or menu is only as successful as the organization that went into the preparation. Additionally, keeping your work area clean and organized will make cooking much more enjoyable and you’ll be less likely to make mistakes. While there are some instances where a chef or home cook can simply throw items together and have the results turn out wonderfully, when creating a special meal or a new recipe there must be more preparation.

The first thing to do is to gather all of your supplies and ingredients. Having everything out and accessible will make the actual cooking process that much easier. Doing this also allows the cook or chef to know what ingredients they have in house already, and which need to be purchased. There is nothing worse than thinking you have an ingredient, going to use that ingredient, and discovering that you are out of stock. Chad Christian Clift always keeps a strict eye on his pantry and refrigerator in order to make sure that he knows what he has at all times.