Born and raised in sunny California, BRI VAN SCOTTER
grew up riding horses and racing dirt bikes. She also didn’t grow up hunting. When it was time to head to college, Bri’s first choice was culinary school, but she understood the value of a university degree. So, she went on to graduate from California State University Fullerton. After graduation, her degree landed her a job at a large retailer; however, that job meant she would sit in a cubicle all day. Not keen on that kind of life, Bri got a job as a hostess in the evenings at a local restaurant. Having a huge passion for cooking and baking, Bri quickly ended up in the pastry department and was thrown on the line rather quickly. Baking desserts at the restaurant became something she looked forward to every day. It was then that she decided to head to culinary school to pursue her passion, graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in Napa, California, with a degree in Culinary Arts and then an additional degree from the Art Institute of Orange County, California.
With two culinary degrees, Bri has worked in some of the most prestigious restaurants in the United States. She has worked as
both an executive chef and executive pastry chef. But, it wasn’t until a move to Georgia that she discovered her love for hunting. Her husband bought her a bow, which he thought would be just for fun, and ended up changing her career. Six months later, she was in a tree stand on opening day getting her first doe. After her first harvest, she had an abundance of wild protein but noticed there was a lack of wild game recipes. So, she created Wilderness to Table, a website dedicated to self-harvested wild game recipes.
Her blog started to gain momentum, and soon she was writing wild game recipes and articles for magazines, one of which caught the eye of a producer, and her blog was turned into a television show that is now available on Amazon Prime and iTunes. Bri has appeared on news segments, gives cooking demonstrations all over the United States, and is an advocate for hunting and conservation. Bri now travels the world to hunt. She is an avid upland bird shooter and can always be seen with her bird dog by her side.
To learn more about Bri, head to her website,
WildernesstoTable.com
, or visit her on Instagram
@WildernessToTable
. There, she shares more wild game recipes and offers a glimpse into her world as an avid hunter, scuba diver, spear fisher, free diver, and traveler.