Sheridan Wimmer
Kansas Living
Magazine
Whether it’s a call to action serving in the Army or his calling to create culinary masterpieces, Mike Castaneda, from the south-central Kansas town of Wellington in Sumner County, embraces new opportunities as they come his way with humility and honor.
Growing up in Wellington, which isn’t where you typically hear chefs hailing from, gave Castaneda something to focus on and eventually became a selling point for his career when he was selected as one of 10 best home cooks in America to appear on the Food Network show “All-Star Academy” in 2015.
“I grew up poor, and I think that’s why I like food so much,” Castaneda says. “It was a way for me to really dive into something and learn. When I was doing interview cast questions for the show, I told them I felt like I was at a bit of a disadvantage because typically chefs are from Dallas and New York and cities of that size, and I felt like I didn’t have access to the ingredients a large metropolis offers. They said they felt that it was an advantage because I really had to know my ingredients.”
That turn of perspective set Castaneda up to succeed in his culinary ventures and encouraged him to keep pushing the boundaries of what he has available to him, staying true to his midwestern roots and Hispanic heritage.
Castaneda’s father’s family is from Guadalajara, Mexico, (Continued on page 18)
(FOOD TRUCK Continued from page 1) which is where Castaneda derives a lot of his inspiration from in his dishes. His first dish on “All-Star Academy” was pressure cooked carnitas with pico salsa and chipotle sauce. The use of the pressure cooker impressed one of the celebrity mentors.
“Why are you getting fancy with me now with the pressure cooker? Are you trying to show off for the big dogs?” joked Alex Guarnaschelli, one of four celebrity chef mentors the contestants hoped to impress for a spot on their team.
“I gotta show what I got a little bit, I guess,” Castaneda said.
Although Castaneda’s time on the show was cut short, being picked up by Food Network opened a lot of doors for him.
From Military Ambition to Knife Precision
Prior to his days as a full-time chef, Castaneda worked in short-range air defense in the U.S. Army, which uses tactics to defend against low-flying aircraft like drones.
“I’ve always felt the need to serve,” Castaneda says. “I worked for the Sheriff’s Department for a while, but I also was a touring musician for a while. I like anything creative, but I’m also very organized and disciplined, and I think that’s helped me in both my military journey and my career as a chef.”
Being methodical, organized and respecting his ingredients was a page he took out of his days of service. On “All-Star Academy,” Curtis Stone complimented him on how neat his workstation was.
“You’ve got the neatest station in the house, which impresses me a lot,” Stone said.
His experience in the military ended when he injured his shoulder while training, resulting in years of surgery and rehabilitation, which still didn’t fix it.
“I was still having issues and when they went in for surgery again, they discovered more damage than they initially thought I had,” Casteneda says. “They ended up having to take a couple inches of my collarbone and anchor my bicep tendon through my arm, but did nerve damage.”
With an injury like Castaneda’s, he couldn’t continue his service to his country, so he pivoted to serving dishes.
Traeger Grills, Food Trucks and World Food Championships
Even with numbness in his fingers from the nerve damage, Castaneda wields a culinary knife with ease and skill — although he will admit he’s had no formal training.
“I just like to eat,” Castaneda says. “I started watching, reading, doing everything I could. I got a Traeger grill and started taking pictures of my food when I was still in the military. They picked up on my work and asked me if I could write recipes for them. I was a poor soldier at the time, so I said, ‘absolutely!’”
Traeger would send Castaneda to SEC football games to prepare meals, then he picked up celebrities to cater for and the competitors on “All-Star Academy” looped him into competing at the World Food Championships. Castaneda has represented Kansas there for the past five years and received sixth in the world in desserts, a feat even Castaneda was surprised about.
“Desserts aren’t even my strongest category,” he says. “But it just kind of worked out.”
With his experience and growing recognition, Castaneda started his own food truck called Devour. The truck won best food truck in 2022 from The Wichita Eagle’s Best of Wichita. Devour served up dishes similar to what he served on “All-Star Academy” like carnitas, grilled achiote chicken, street tacos and a smothered burrito. His truck served other items like chicken sandwiches, barbecue and a lot more. Unfortunately, Castaneda’s food truck days are behind him when in 2024, an accident left the truck totaled. Ever an optimist, Castaneda saw the positive in the situation.
“It was difficult at the time, but then I started doing extra stuff outside of the food truck,” he says. “So then it made me kind of feel like, well, maybe this was kind of meant to be, and I just need to advance.”
While shutting the door on the food truck was a setback, it also opened new ones. With his culinary expertise and connections — particularly through the World Food Championships — Castaneda found new opportunities to share his passion for food. Now, he travels to Sam’s Clubs, demonstrating how to elevate everyday ingredients into something extraordinary.
Passion is Where You Sauté It
Stepping into Castaneda’s Wellington home, where he hosts cooking classes, is a warm invitation. You’re met with ingredients lined up, ready to be used and a chef with tattoos ready to get creative. He carries on a conversation with ease while chopping potatoes and onions to sauté in a skillet and creates a robust, complex and perfectly spicy curry dish. Served with naan, the dish is a testament to Castaneda’s ability to multi-task, which makes the experience approachable while seeing the passion he has for cooking.
“I like my hometown,” Castaneda says. “I like the slowness, the simplicity. Going to New York was a cool experience, but at the same time, coming home is quiet and I still get to do what I love.”
For Castaneda, serving comes in many forms — from protecting our country to creating the perfect dish that celebrates culture, creativity and a deep love for the craft of cooking — all from his home in Kansas.
Castaneda’s work can be seen on his Instagram and Facebook pages.
