Alex grew up in Johnston, Iowa, and developed a passion for fishing and the outdoors early on. His love of nature is largely thanks to his father, who taught him that nature can be both recreational and a source for wholesome foods. Their years spent fishing together enabled Alex to experience a broad variety of natural ecosystems, from the shivering shores of Lake Superior to the blazing hot backwaters of coastal Louisiana. As he progressed through college, Alex taught himself to hunt. This sprang from a deep desire to become more connected to the natural world and to escape from classroom stress. Alex has continued developing these hunting skills into adulthood and has learned to approach both fishing and hunting with careful planning and precision.
Through the adventure of acquiring and the experience of sharing, Alex's passion for wild food has blossomed. Wild food comes from the heart and requires a steady, patient hand to gather. In his opinion, cooking wild, wholesome foods for a friend or loved one is the pinnacle of appreciation. While developing this deep enjoyment of wild foods, his interest also spilled over into gardening in an effort to find the highest quality ingredients. He has since converted a quarter of his suburban backyard into a produce powerhouse that his friends are more than happy to help him eat each year.
These days, you can find Alex dedicating most of his spare time to waterfowl and upland bird hunting with his 3-year-old lab, Riker. His annual high point is the Snow Goose migration, where he will spend several weekends chasing the birds from Missouri, through Iowa, to South Dakota. When he isn’t hunting, you can find him spending his time volunteering to restore a local native sand prairie and helping out around the community.
Alex proudly supports Pheasants Forever, Ducks Unlimited, Habitat for Humanity, Iowa DNR, TRCP and Backcountry Hunters and Anglers.
Check out Alex's Instagram @omnivoretothecore