We were recently interviewed for an article by the folks at ILE.
Check out the full article below or on ILE's website: ILE for Nomad Kitchen Co.
Founded in 2019, Nomad Kitchen Co. produces modular, vehicle-mounted kitchen and drawer systems for car camping, overlanding, road trips, and more. They design and manufacture all of their products in California using primarily domestically sourced materials.
For the past few years, we’ve collaborated on a collection of custom bags that integrate directly with Nomad Kitchen systems, providing organization solutions for various pieces of gear. We recently visited their new showroom (located just a few minutes away from our Berkeley HQ) to learn more about founder Sam Gross and the story behind Nomad Kitchen. Check out our interview below:
Sam, tell us a bit about your journey, what you do for a living, and your interests outside of work.
At the age of 18, I enrolled in a culinary arts program that ignited my passions for good food and cooking. I worked in food systems for many years before going back to school to pursue master’s degrees in civil engineering and design. I then worked in infrastructure planning and design for several years before coming up with the idea for Nomad Kitchen Co.
I’ve had a lifelong interest in cooking, camping, and transportation. I’m an avid backpacker, overlander, and skier, and I have tried most adventure sports at some point in my life. I’m also a former collegiate cyclist and maintain my passion for the sport by biking to work each day.
What’s the story of Nomad Kitchen?
The story of Nomad Kitchen begins with a road trip through the Northern Rockies. I’ve always harbored a passion for cooking and being outside, and for decades I would go on trips with my tried and true folding table, camping stove, and bins of cookware. However, it was during this solo road trip that I realized that there was a world of possibilities to make improvements.
During this multi-week trip, it became clear that my current cooking system was quite time-consuming to set up and break down. The whole process ate away at the time I could have spent enjoying nature or getting on the road between destinations. During this trip, I also made friends with people from many walks of life, including vanlifers and overlanders (of course this was before those terms and lifestyles became widespread). When I compared my cooking setup to that of my new vanlife friends, it was clear that my bin storage system wasn't sufficient when it came to staying organized or easily prepping, cooking, and cleaning up after a meal.
I knew then that I wanted a better option, but didn’t have the funds or space for a van or dedicated overlanding rig. I wanted to enjoy the same freedom and convenience vanlifers enjoy when eating on the road, but at that time there wasn’t a single affordable way to do so, and definitely nothing that could fit in my small SUV.
It was then that the Nomad Kitchen was born––a modular, universal-fit, vehicle-mounted kitchen designed to fit nearly every vehicle and lifestyle. Whether you are an avid overlander, soccer mom/dad, festival attendee, car enthusiast, adventure sports athlete, weekend warrior, or tailgating sports fan, the Nomad Kitchen and Drawer system offers an easy way to keep you organized and ready to whip up delicious meals on the go.
What makes your company unique?
The Nomad Kitchen is one of the only products that serves the everyday camper while simultaneously fulfilling the needs of serious overlanders and vanlifers. Many of the other products on the market either require you to have a designated overland rig and seriously modify your vehicle, or they are only suitable for casual campers and require users to waste time setting up a full kitchen piece by piece each time they reach a new destination. Our vehicle-mounted kitchen setup is simple, effective, and designed to empower everyone who wants to get outside to do so–without compromising on good food!
For the past few years we’ve collaborated on some awesome custom products. How do these pieces integrate with your systems?
We have collaborated on the Nomad Kitchen’s internal storage system accessories: nine sizes of heavy-duty packing cubes, a propane tank bag, and our popular utensil/tool roll. We have an ILE x Nomad packing cube for every interior nook and cranny of our various kitchen and pantry drawer systems. ILE products help our customers stay organized, protect their gear and kitchen systems, and reduce noise from gear rattle while in transit. They also make it quick and easy to load up and unload the car and access your gear at your destination.
Lastly, tell us about your amazing new showroom space!
Nomad Kitchen Co. is a local Bay Area business, and we recently moved into a new space in Emeryville, only 2.5 miles south of ILE. We invite you to come visit our new showroom and check out our kitchen and pantry drawer systems as well as the products we have made in collaboration with ILE!
Find us at 5515 Doyle St. Suite 17, Emeryville, CA 94608. Our drop-in hours are Tuesday-Thursday from 10 am–5 pm & Friday from 10 am–3 pm.
Check out Nomad Kitchen Co. at:
Photography by Vicken Donikian
Final photo courtesy of Nomad Kitchen Co.