The Kitchen Chronicles: A Veteran's Story of Healing Through Food

Who I Am

I'm a 47-year-old retired Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant, professional chef, and the creator behind Recipe Dot. I was born in Fort Worth, Texas, and raised in a military family where discipline, honor, and hard work were the cornerstones of everyday life.

My father, Master Sergeant Robert Henderson, served 30 years in the Army, and my mother, Linda, was an Army nurse. I have an older brother, Michael, who followed our father's footsteps into the Army, and a younger sister, Sarah, who became an ER nurse like our mom. Service runs deep in our blood.

Today, I live in San Diego, California, with my wife Rebecca (married 18 years) and our two kids: James (16) and Emma (13). We also have a German Shepherd named Sergeant — yes, he outranks me at home.

Education & Military Service

I graduated from Arlington Heights High School in Fort Worth in 1996. Instead of college, I enlisted in the United States Marine Corps right after graduation. I served for 23 years, completing three combat tours — two in Iraq (2003, 2006) and one in Afghanistan (2010).

After retiring from active duty in 2019, I pursued my passion for cooking and enrolled at Le Cordon Bleu in Los Angeles, graduating with honors in 2015 (I started the program while still on active duty during my final years of service).

From the Battlefield to the Kitchen

Twenty-three years in the Marine Corps taught me discipline. The kitchen taught me freedom.

After three tours of duty and countless MREs (Meals, Ready-to-Eat), I discovered that the precision I learned in the military translated perfectly into the art of cooking. But it wasn't until a PTSD therapy session in 2012 that I realized cooking could be more than just sustenance — it could be salvation.

My therapist suggested I try cooking as a form of mindfulness practice. That first meal — a simple beef stew using my grandmother Eleanor's recipe — changed everything. The chopping, the stirring, the focus required... it was like meditation. It brought me back to my grandmother's kitchen in Texas, where I spent summers watching her turn simple ingredients into family feasts.

My Career After Service

After graduating from Le Cordon Bleu, I worked as Head Chef at the Veterans' Recovery Center in San Diego for four years. There, I developed the "Cooking Through Recovery" program, which uses culinary therapy to help veterans dealing with PTSD and transition challenges. The program has helped over 500 veterans since 2016.

In 2021, I published my cookbook "From MREs to Gourmet: A Veteran's Culinary Journey", which combines my military experiences with recipes that helped me heal. The book became an Amazon bestseller in the Military Cooking category.

Recipe Dot launched in 2023 as my way of sharing everything I've learned — with military precision and a whole lot of heart.

Why Trust Me?

• Graduate of Le Cordon Bleu (2015) with honors
• Former Head Chef at Veterans' Recovery Center, San Diego
• Creator of "Cooking Through Recovery" Program, helping over 500 veterans
• Author of "From MREs to Gourmet" — Amazon Bestseller
• ServSafe Certified Food Safety Manager
• 23 Years USMC service with discipline, precision, and attention to detail

Core Values

Battle Plan

Each recipe on Recipe Dot is organized like a military operation:

• Mission Objective — Recipe Goal
• Required Equipment — Tools You'll Need
• Intelligence Report — Ingredient Analysis
• Tactical Approach — Step-by-Step Method
• Success Indicators — How to Know It's Done Right
• Troubleshooting Guide — When Things Go Sideways

The Mess Hall Rules

• No recipe goes live without 50+ test runs
• Every technique is explained with military precision
• All ingredients must be accessible to average home cooks
• Failure is not an option — but learning from mistakes is encouraged

A Little More About Me

When I'm not in the kitchen developing recipes, here's where you'll find me:

My Favorites

Semper Fidelis,
Adam Henderson