Chef Eric Gephart, known for his passion for live fire and his dedication to community cooking, stepped into Lucie Studios to share his journey and his path to being selected for Atlanta’s 2025 PeachFest.
Today he is recognized as one of the leading voices in live fire cuisine and the Director of Culinary Inspiration Middleby Outdoor.
🎥 Watch the Video Feature Here
Chef Eric’s Mission: Teaching Through Fire
Eric has built a career as a traveling global chef who cooks at some of the world’s most prestigious culinary events, however, he mentioned that some of his favorite moments happen when he is cooking for his community and creating meaningful experiences close to home.
“There’s something about live fire that I’ve always been drawn to, and I think all of us are,” Gephart said. “That kind of communal aspect of feeding people, longer tables, shorter walls.”
His style blends education and entertainment, a combination he likes to call “edutaining.”
“It’s cool to watch me cook the biggest tomahawk ribeye you’ve ever seen for about 3 seconds. But you get that kid out there who puts some gloves on that are two sizes too big, and they’re grabbing that thing, they’re flipping it over — now that’s an experience that they’ll never forget.”
For Gephart, these small, powerful interactions are more than crowd-pleasers. They’re reminders of why he teaches in the first place: to turn cooking into a shared, memorable experience.
Building a Career Through Fire and Craft: Kamado Joe Ambassador
Before becoming the Director of Culinary Inspiration for Middleby Outdoor, Eric led a 375-seat restaurant where the entire concept revolved around live fire. The kitchen featured 15 Big Red Kamado Joe grills.
At the time, Kamado Joe was searching for someone who could elevate and teach on their product, and when they watched Gephart command the fire and teach as he cooked, they realized he brought something different.
His “edutaining” style and his instinct for pushing live-fire boundaries made him the exact voice they were looking for.
For Gephart, cooking is a universal language. And live fire is the amplifier.
“Even if I’m speaking Japanese and you don’t understand that, you’re watching my hands, right? The way we’re holding a knife, the way we’re slicing the fish, the way we’re putting it in a pan,” Gephart said.
In Gephart’s eyes, anyone can follow a recipe, but it’s the technique that truly makes the dish.
Bringing the Story to Life at Lucie Content
With Eric, our goal was clear.
First, we brought him into Lucie Studios, where he sat down with our team and opened up about his journey and his passion for teaching.
We then followed him to Atlanta’s 2025 PeachFest, where he moved from grill to grill with the same energy and generosity he brings to every live fire. Combining studio storytelling with real moments from the festival allowed us to capture the heart of who he is.
🎥 Watch the Video Feature Here
