Chef Charlie Abowd began cooking at thirteen, wearing his mother’s apron. Early on, he worked construction, and under the banner “Captain Little Trip Productions,” produced staging light shows for legends of the San Francisco, Bay Area, and Santa Cruz music scenes. Charlie and his wife, Karen, moved to Carson City, Nevada, in 1980 to help operate the family restaurant “Adele’s,” the state legislators’ home away from home. They assumed ownership in 1998. Charlie is one of the America’s top chefs and was honored to cook at The James Beard House, New York City, in 2005 where his inspiration, Julia Childs, had cooked.