Worn Out Wednesday: Grill Master Russ Faulk

Today we interview grill master, Russ Faulk.

I grew up in Wisconsin and studied art at Washington University in St. Louis.

My career has traveled a winding path: first in information design for an educational research and development firm; then as design director for a medium-size graphic design shop; next I arced through user experience consulting as web businesses boomed; then in management consulting, helping companies find competitive advantage through delivering superior customer experiences.

Something remarkable happened in 2005, and my life-long love of grilling merged with my life-long love of design. Since May of that year, I have been working as part of a talented team of people to build Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet into the recognized leader in outdoor cooking. Along the way I took the reins as chief designer. It has been a fantastic experience reinventing our grills and pizza ovens. I also enjoy the roll of grillmaster, authoring hundreds of recipes for KalamazooGourmet.com. We will release the second edition of the Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet cookbook later this year.

Stepping outside of my profession, my other passion is designing and flying kites. I have been fortunate to travel the world as part of the Chicago Fire Kite Team. When life was a little simpler, I have been known to spend time sitting at the potter’s wheel. What I enjoy most is creating things, whether it is a multi-year team effort to launch a product like the new Gaucho Grill, or something simple like a new recipe for sliders.

As for my personal style:

Jeans: You won’t find me in skinny jeans or anything like them. Proving, perhaps, that I am not fashionable, but do have a style, I wear boot-cut jeans. A number of pairs of Lucky Brand 367 Vintage Boot are in rotation.

Shirts: I wear a lot of clothes from Kühl because I love the fit and like the style. Many of my shirts are Kühl plaid. Out of the office, you’re likely to find me wearing an embroidered work shirt from one of my favorite craft breweries, including Odd Side Ales, Greenbush, Bell’s and Stone.

Pants: Always jeans, unless I’m wearing Kühl Ambush Shorts.

Suits: Hickey Freeman Traveler, but really only for weddings and funerals.

Shoes: Cole Haan Vartan Sport Oxfords at work or OluKai Mia Ola when I’m out of the office.

Accessory: I am fond of well-designed pocket knives, and I carry one nearly all the time. My current favorite is the Andre de Villiers Mid-tech Butcher. The fit and finish are impeccable, and the flipper action is so refined you want to open and close it all day long.

Outerwear: Fjällräven Sarek Trekking Jacket

Favorite Cologne: I don’t really wear cologne, but my Dude No. 1 Beard Oil is scented.

Your favorite App: My favorite app is Google Sky Map because it is so fun and educational.

Favorite piece of technology: I always carry the latest version of the Google Nexus Phone.

Next tech purchase: The next version of the Google Nexus.