Nick Shelly, the kitchen manager at Aslan Brewing, is a shining example of dedication and passion in his role. With just passing his two-year mark at Aslan, Nick has demonstrated his commitment to culinary excellence and has risen through the ranks to lead the kitchen with confidence and creativity.
Nick with his son, Asa
Starting his journey in March 2021, Nick initially joined Aslan as a line cook. He quickly learned the ins and outs of every station within the kitchen and moved up to a lead position. Most recently, about six months ago, Nick was promoted to Kitchen Manager, leading the entire back-of-house team in new recipes, scheduling, efficiency, and much more!
With a couple of months in this leadership position under his belt, Nick has started to feel more comfortable embracing the new responsibilities with enthusiasm and determination. He now enjoys the freedom to infuse his creativity into the menu and empower team members to develop their skills.
Nick learned everything he knows from working in kitchens and with chefs who inspired him and took him under their wings. His very first job was in a kitchen as a dishwasher, and since then, he has worked his way up, never leaving the world of kitchen jobs.
“I've always really enjoyed the work that kitchens are, the environment that you're in, and the people that you get to work with,” said Nick. “There’s a sense of camaraderie and how much we're all just doing our best to take care of each other. It was just what I craved in a career, and I never really looked back after I found it.”
During one of his first kitchen jobs, Nick worked under a Michelin-starred chef. From him, Nick learned many skills, from baking bread to achieving precise knife cuts and butchering meat. Nick worked with him for about three years, and during this time, he decidedly that this was the career path that he wanted to continue in.
Despite cooking for a living, Nick loves cooking for his family too! He enjoys getting creative with seasonal produce, and his fiancée specifically loves when he makes chicken parmesan. Outside of the kitchen, Nick finds joy in his family life. Born and raised in Whatcom County, Nick is engaged to his high school sweetheart, and they live together with their almost-two-year-old son, Asa. “He’s learning new words every day and getting into anything and everything! He’s definitely keeping us on our toes,” said Nick. His parents still live in Whatcom County, and his mom helps out a lot with watching Asa.
Nick’s favorite part about working at Aslan is getting to work with his team. He mentioned that he has never worked with a crew that works together so well and is able to have a ton of fun while also getting things done. He is particularly excited about continuing to develop the catering menu for private onsite events and creating a team to execute it perfectly.
At Aslan, we are excited to see what else Nick brings to the table (literally!) as he continues to develop and become more comfortable in his new position as Kitchen Manager!
