Batch and Gather

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About

About Victor Eskew

Portrait of Victor smiling

Hey, I'm Victor!

The way we're told to cook today is broken.

I teach the professional batch cooking systems that save my household $1,600+/year-no guilt, no impossible standards, just what actually works when you're exhausted and broke.

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The Thanksgiving That Changed Everything

I've managed food operations for 100+ major events. I've cooked for crowds of 1000+ in restaurants and managed catering operations at venues with thousands of people in attendance like Stone Mountain Park festivals, Road Atlanta, and the Georgia Dome. I've been on a training team for an international hotel chain and restaurants, and competed on an award-winning BBQ team.

But one Thanksgiving nearly broke me.

For over a decade, I'd used the same batch cooking systems at home that I used professionally. Prep everything in advance, stage components, execute on game day without stress. It worked flawlessly every year.

Then one year, my kids wanted to do things in the evenings leading up to Thanksgiving. Movies, activities, time together-things I didn't want to miss. Each night, I'd think "but you're not getting Thanksgiving prep done" and then throw caution to the wind anyway. We had a great time.

As Thanksgiving got closer, the pressure mounted. Eventually I told myself: "I'll just start in the morning on Thanksgiving and have it ready for dinner. After all, the recipes are simple."

That was the problem.

Yes, the individual recipes were simple. But with limited prep space, one sink, one oven, and a home kitchen setup, it's impossible to manage the layers of multiple dishes simultaneously-cooking, prepping the next thing, cleaning up so you have counter space again, baking off the next batch.

I ran the dishwasher three times during that cooking session just trying to free up resources. I wore the wrong shoes and stood on concrete for 8 hours. By the time I sat down to eat, I was physically exhausted, in pain, and so miserable I couldn't even get up for a glass of water.

I snapped at my family. I ruined the day.

And here's what made it so ridiculous:

I'd worked in the banquet kitchen at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis as the Executive Chef's Administrative Assistant-a massive operation serving 1,600+ hotel rooms with room service, an employee cafeteria feeding 1,300+ people three times a day, banquet capacity for 3,000 people, and a main kitchen supporting 5 restaurants.

We had almost unlimited resources: An entire staff, industrial dish and prep tool washing capacity, multiple ovens, 100-gallon tilt kettles, multiple tilt skillets, endless refrigerator space.

And even with all that, we started prep 1-2 days before every banquet.

You had to. Even with professional equipment and a full team, you couldn't pull off a 3,000-person event starting the morning of. The logistics, the sequencing, the staging-it was impossible without advance prep.

So what made me think I could pull off Thanksgiving dinner in a home kitchen, by myself, starting at 8am?

That's when it hit me: I'd been using batch cooking systems for over a decade without even thinking about it. In all those years, I just assumed everyone else did what I did. I had no idea how hard it was to pull off Thanksgiving without those systems-because I'd never tried it the "normal" way.

That one year I ditched my process, I found out what millions of people go through every Thanksgiving: the chaos, the exhaustion, the misery of trying to do it all in real-time with home kitchen constraints.

That's when I realized I needed to teach this.

Not because I'm better at cooking-but because I'd accidentally figured out a system that eliminates the suffering. And if someone with 10+ years of professional experience couldn't pull off Thanksgiving without batch cooking, then everyone else needed these systems too.

That's why I started BatchAndGather-to teach the process that turns Thanksgiving (and every other meal) from chaos into something manageable.

You're Not Failing at Cooking-The System Is Failing You

Here's what nobody's saying out loud:

The way we're expected to cook today is structurally broken.

You're supposed to meal plan, grocery shop weekly, cook fresh every night, pack lunches, handle breakfast, manage leftovers, minimize waste, stay under budget, accommodate dietary restrictions, and somehow make it all Instagram-worthy.

And you're supposed to do this while:

  • Working full-time (or multiple jobs)
  • Commuting in traffic
  • Managing a household
  • Raising kids
  • Dealing with the highest food prices in a generation
  • Fighting decision fatigue after making 100+ choices at work

Then when you can't keep up, you're told it's a personal failure.

"Just meal prep on Sundays." "Cook in batches." "Plan better." "Be more organized."

As if the problem is you, not the impossible system.

The Real Problem: Time Scarcity Economics

Let me tell you what's actually happening:

Scenario 1: Cooking from scratch every night

  • 60-90 minutes cooking + cleanup
  • Mental energy deciding what to make
  • Physical energy after a long day
  • Grocery shopping 2-3x per week because you can't plan ahead
  • Food waste because ingredients spoil

Cost: Your time, your energy, your sanity.

Scenario 2: Ordering takeout

  • $15-25 per person, per meal
  • $60-100 for a family of four
  • 5 nights a week = $300-500/week
  • $1,200-2,000 per month
  • $14,400-24,000 per year

Cost: Financial devastation for most households.

Both options are broken. That's not a personal failing. That's a structural problem.

Why Traditional "Meal Prep" Advice Doesn't Work

You've been told:

  • Meal plan every week (exhausting)
  • Prep everything Sunday (overwhelming)
  • Follow recipes exactly (inflexible)
  • Cook fresh every night (unrealistic)

Then you try it, burn out in two weeks, and end up ordering takeout again.

The problem isn't you. It's the advice.

Most cooking content is designed for:

  • People with unlimited time and energy
  • Professional food bloggers who cook for a living
  • Instagram aesthetics, not real-life functionality
  • Selling you products, not solving your problems

What you actually need is a different system entirely.

My Background (And Why It Matters to You)

10+ Years Managing Professional Food Operations

I didn't learn cooking from YouTube tutorials. I learned it managing high-stakes kitchens where failure wasn't an option:

  • Assistant Catering Director - Coordinated 100+ major events
  • Event cooking for crowds of 1000+ at Road Atlanta, Georgia Dome, and other major venues
  • Award-winning BBQ team member on the competition circuit
  • International hotel chain training team member teaching safety and sanitation in kitchen operations

Here's what that experience taught me:

Professional kitchens don't survive by cooking everything from scratch every day. They survive through modular systems-prep once, use all week, scale from 4 to 400 servings without breaking a sweat.

And those same systems work even better at home.

Because here's the secret: restaurants aren't more efficient because they have better equipment. They're more efficient because they have better processes.

And you can use those same processes in your home kitchen.

What I Teach (And What Makes This Different)

This Isn't About Recipes. It's About Process.

Most cooking education:

  • Teaches you what to make (recipes)
  • Makes you dependent on instructions
  • Doesn't scale when you need more or less food
  • Falls apart when you're missing an ingredient

My approach:

  • Teaches you how to think (formulas)
  • Makes you independent from recipes
  • Scales from couples to crowds using the same process
  • Works with what you have in your kitchen right now

Example:

Recipe thinking: "I need this exact brand of tomatoes, these specific herbs, and I have to follow these 12 steps perfectly or it won't work."

Formula thinking: "Protein + acid + fat + aromatics = infinite variations. I can make this with beef, chicken, pork, or beans. I can scale it for 2 people or 20. I can batch it on Sunday and eat all week."

One approach keeps you trapped. The other sets you free.

The Three Core Systems

1. Modular Batch Cooking

What it is:
Cook base components once, combine them into different meals all week.

What it solves:
No more cooking from scratch every night. No more "what's for dinner" panic. No more throwing away spoiled ingredients.

Real result:
2-3 hours on Sunday = 15-minute meals all week. Save $1,600+ per year by eliminating food waste and takeout.

The truth nobody tells you: Professional kitchens don't cook à la carte during service. They prep components in advance, then assemble quickly when orders come in. That's why restaurant food comes out fast-not because they're better at cooking, but because they're better at systems.

2. Scalable Crowd Cooking

What it is:
Professional techniques for feeding 10-50+ people without stress.

What it solves:
Holiday gatherings, family events, potlucks-cook with confidence whether you're feeding 4 or 40.

Real result:
Host Thanksgiving without destroying yourself. Make crowd-size portions using home equipment. Calculate exact quantities so nothing goes to waste.

3. Formula-Based Cooking

What it is:
Learn the patterns and ratios that make recipes work, so you can create meals without following instructions.

What it solves:
Recipe dependency. "I can't cook without a recipe" becomes "I can make dinner from whatever's in my fridge."

Real result:
Cook with confidence. Adapt recipes on the fly. Never apologize for beans and rice again-master them instead.

The Transformation: Before & After

BEFORE Batch Cooking Systems:

You're stressed every night around 5pm because you don't know what's for dinner.

You're broke because grocery prices keep rising and you're throwing away spoiled food every week.

You're eating out more than you want because cooking feels too hard after a long day.

You're dreading Thanksgiving because last time you hosted, it took you three days to recover.

Your family is eating processed food because real cooking feels impossible with your schedule.

And you feel guilty about all of it-like it's a personal failure.

AFTER Batch Cooking Systems:

You're calm at 5pm because dinner is already prepped-just reheat and serve in 15 minutes.

You have more money in the bank because you're buying strategically, wasting nothing, and eliminating $200-500/week in takeout.

Your family is eating healthier real food because batch cooking makes it easier than driving to pick up fast food.

You have free time in the evenings because you're not cooking for an hour every night.

You hosted Thanksgiving without destroying yourself-and you actually enjoyed it.

And you stopped feeling guilty because you found a system that actually works.

My Personal Results (And Why They Matter)

I don't just teach this-I live it.

My household:

  • $1,600+ saved annually through systematic bulk buying and zero food waste
  • 30-40% lower grocery bills using batch cooking and strategic shopping
  • 15 minutes or less for weeknight dinners (reheating prepped components)
  • Reduced takeout expenses because batch cooking is faster and cheaper

These aren't hypothetical numbers. This is what happens when you stop cooking reactively and start cooking systematically.

And if it works in my kitchen while managing a full-time job and family, it'll work in yours.

Why I'm Not Selling You a Fantasy

I'm not going to tell you cooking is easy, fun, and magical every single night.

Sometimes it's work. Sometimes you're tired. Sometimes you just want someone else to deal with it.

But here's what I can promise:

If you learn these systems, cooking stops being a daily burden and becomes a weekly task you handle once-then coast on for days.

You won't love every minute of it. But you'll love having time back. You'll love seeing your bank account grow. You'll love feeding your family real food without stress.

That's the real transformation. Not Instagram-perfect kitchens. Just actual results in your actual life.

Who This Is For

You're in the Right Place If:

  • You're exhausted by the daily "what's for dinner" decision
  • You're spending $300-500/week on takeout and it's killing your budget
  • You want to feed your family real food but cooking every night feels impossible
  • You're tired of throwing away spoiled groceries
  • You're hosting gatherings and want to cook with confidence, not chaos
  • You're willing to invest 2-3 hours once a week to have 15-minute meals the rest of the week
  • You're ready to learn a different approach to home cooking (process over recipes)

This Probably Isn't For You If:

  • You're looking for quick hacks without learning the underlying systems
  • You need hand-holding through every single step of every recipe
  • You want cooking content as entertainment, not practical education
  • You're not willing to try a completely different approach than you're used to

Let's Build Your Kitchen Systems Together

I've made the mistakes. I've had the Thanksgiving meltdown. I've burned through grocery budgets. I've learned what works and what's just pretty-sounding nonsense.

Now I'm teaching you the process-the same systematic approaches that work in professional kitchens, scaled down for your home.

No fluff. No fantasy. No guilt. Just systems that work.

Ready to Start?

New Here? Start With:

  1. Browse Quick Meals - 30-minute formulas for weeknight cooking
  2. Explore Batch Cooking - Cook once, eat all week
  3. Learn Crowd Cooking - Feed 10-50 people with confidence
  4. Join Free Email List - Get the Batch Cooking Starter Guide

Let's make cooking work for your life, not the other way around.

- Victor Eskew
Former Catering Director | Batch Cooking Systems Educator | The Guy Who Had the Thanksgiving Meltdown So You Don't Have To

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