In the age of social media, few outdoor accounts truly stand out and leave one feeling inspired. In an increasingly crowded space, authenticity is quite rare.
The rise of outdoor influencers has equally good and bad consequences—with the latter getting more attention. Few influencers adequately capture the essence of hunting and fishing well. However, one person who does is Jeremiah Doughty—a Southern California-based wild game chef.
If you’re active on social media, chances are you have stumbled upon the name From Field to Plate. With over 40,000 Instagram followers, Doughty has undoubtedly built a name for himself on and off the platform and elsewhere on social media.
Jeremiah showcases the full spectrum of the cast and blast life—from the harvest to field dressing to meal prep to the final dish. His goal isn’t to just bag a trophy or get “likes”; he hunts for the joy of knowing where his food comes from. He wants to teach hunters, seasoned and newbies alike, how meat put on tables can not only be presentable but equally taste great.
Doughty said he never envisioned being a wild game chef or being a so-called influencer. He had other plans in mind—aspirations to be a pastor, a cop, and yes, a superhero. He explains that cooking was always his passion and a huge part of his upbringing. However, after discovering allergies to farm-raised meats, he sought out wild game meat as an alternative.
“A little over seven years ago, I found out I was allergic to beef,” Doughty said. “This allergy pushed me into big game hunting. I was raised a bird hunter and saltwater fisherman here in Southern California, though [I] never hunted large game. When I finally did hunt big game, I hated the meat and the wild taste it had. This is what pushed me to learn more and eventually become a wild game chef.”
His unlikely journey to “the industry” seems far-fetched given his location in Orange County, California. Jeremiah emphasizes that while he is surrounded by many “misinformed individuals,” there are many open-minded people who are curious about wild game meat. In fact, Jeremiah loves to civilly challenge vegans, vegetarians, non-traditional outdoor enthusiasts, and other skeptics to give wild game dishes a chance.
“We just did a huge wild game cook off for a pro skater here in Orange County,” Jeremiah said. “Over 300 folks showed up and over 90 percent of them had never eaten wild game. We sat there answering questions and breaking down walls for hours as each person took a bite and their face lite up. Not one person spit it out, not one person said it was “gamey.” All we heard was “what’s this, where can I get more, can I hunt with you?” from almost everyone. We fed them elk, mule deer, wild boar, bison and bighorn sheep.”
He said events like this bring hunters together—even behind the Orange Curtain. In fact, he says 20 hunters attended this recent dinner and left it inspired to organize a “huge” Southern California wild game and hunting gathering for May 2019.
In a changing landscape for hunting — especially with fewer participants — folks like Jeremiah believe their purpose is to educate and teach hunters to improve the industry.
One way Doughty hopes to change the industry and draw in more people is through his From Field to Plate 101 courses. Although he felt uncertain how he could carve a niche for himself in hunting, he knew his purpose. Detractors had warned him he was going to steal their spots, their secrets, and their animals, but that didn’t deter Doughty from setting his sights on his dream: to help more people discover and develop a love of hunting. He hopes these courses facilitate this more.
“When I started From Field To Plate (FFTP), it was to change that [this perception of hunting],” he said. “I wanted to be someone that anyone could come to and ask any question. Someone who would take them hunting, teach them things I had learned and change our industry for the better.”
His FFTP 101 courses take place in a hands-on classroom setting where the classroom brings students to the gun range, field, butcher house, and kitchen. These courses are intensive three-day affairs that include hunting, skinning, gutting, butchering, and cooking in a non-judgmental group setting. Jeremiah emphasizes to me that “it’s not about the big bucks; it’s about the hunt, fellowship and of course, the food.”
Past courses have taken place in Texas, but Doughty has plans to take the courses on the road to other states and to Canada during the 2019-20 hunting season. He hopes these courses will expand to include students harvesting and working with deer, wild hog, upland game, and waterfowl.
It should come as no surprise outdoor companies have their sights on Doughty.
Some companies throw him large sums of money, he says, but he walks away from most offers because they aren’t a good match. He knows the influencer game well, and only wants to associate with companies who value his talents. Companies that best align with Jeremiah’s goals — and who currently partner or have partnered with him— include Mossy Oak, Traeger Grills, Black Rifle Coffee, Field & Stream, Cabela’s, Weston Supply, GoWild, Vortex Optics, and Alps Outdoorz.
Given the popularity of Jeremiah’s cooking online and offline, people have regularly asked him when he will publish a cookbook featuring original recipes.
“I do have plans to come out with a cookbook, but right now I’m enjoying giving them away for free,” said Doughty. “I know that sounds crazy, but I would rather have someone use the recipes they really want and not have a book full of only a couple they like.”
A past picky eater, he says he’s not afraid of experimenting with any wild game meat and hopes to make what people deem “inedible” more “edible”—especially when it comes to utilizing organs like an animal’s heart, liver and kidneys. He says his work isn’t complete unless he can convince hunters and other wild game connoisseurs to best utilize all edible parts of wild game.
I asked Jeremiah what’s the best gateway wild game item to get people hooked. His answer: wild game jerky.
“I think jerky is the gateway meat. It is packed with flavor, easy to grab and really is a talking piece,” Jeremiah said. “The biggest negative ‘Eww, jerky!’ I got was the coyote, because most folks still think of it as a dog and others view it as a nasty, smelly predator.”
“No meat is off-limits. I’ve jerked squirrel, bear, fish, coots and everything in-between. If it can walk, crawl, fly or swim, it can be smoked and dried.”
Despite his meteoric rise in the industry, Jeremiah doesn’t want to gloat in his own success. He just wants others to be successful in hunting and fishing as he has.
“My favorite thing about being part of the industry is helping others,” he said. “Watching others grow their passion and confidence in themselves. Nothing is cooler than being tagged in pictures of someone gutting a deer for the first time and say it’s because they saw me or listened to something I did.”
Sporting Classics Daily readers can connect with Jeremiah Doughty on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. His wild game recipes and From Field to Plate courses can be found at www.fromfieldtoplate.com.