Chef and founder of From Field to Plate Jeremiah Doughty sat down with Dawson Knives' own John Roy to discuss what led him here, beginning with a sudden illness at what he thought was the height of his career.
“I was working in high-end steakhouses, next thing you know, I’m sick as a dog and have to leave,” Jeremiah tells John. “It started to affect our marriage because I was afraid to go out and eat.”
The From Field to Plate founder added: “It’s like getting the worst flu of your life for eight hours, within half an hour of eating.”
For years, doctors missed it. They said, “It’s gluten.” Then, “It’s dairy.”’
It wasn’t.
It wasn’t.
Drunken Venison Chops, photo courtesy of fromfieldtoplate.com
Venison and Stout Meat Pies, photo courtesy of fromfieldtoplate.com
Fried Quail, Quail Eggs and Waffles w/ Bacon-infused Maple Syrup, photo courtesy of fromfieldtoplate.com
A disastrous beginning
Finally, after “a bunch of weird tests,” he discovered that he was allergic to bovine fats. “The easiest way to say it is I’m allergic to beef.”
He cut every trace of it from his diet: “I felt phenomenal.” Then he tested his diagnosis: “After 30 days of feeling great, I ate a 30-ounce ribeye. Within three minutes, I was puking my guts out.”
He laughs at the memory, but the verdict was final: “I guess that’s it for beef.”
From then on, vigilance was the rule: “Once I found out, it became about reading labels. You’d be surprised how much has beef, beef collagen, or some bovine byproduct.”
A lifelong bird hunter (“if it flies, it dies”), Jeremiah pivoted to what he could eat: “For a year I lived on chicken, pheasant, duck, quail, dove—and pork.”
But the cravings remained. Ground beef, filet, beef jerky.
Then, one day, at a Southern California archery range, an old timer said: “Wyoming antelope doe tags were $36 over the counter.”
Jeremiah put his bow back in the case, drove home, bought leftover tags, and looked at the dates. Three weeks left. He called a buddy and said, “Let’s go.”
Snow belted down, Jeremiah’s scopes weren’t sighted, he ran out of gas, the animals froze. It was a disastrous beginning.
photo courtesy of @fromfieldtoplate
Nothing daunted
“God took it and created a love for this—even through a hard trial,” Jeremiah says. That love eventually became From Field to Plate, the education platform where he teaches people to hunt, butcher, and cook wild game with care and gratitude.
A year later, he was offering four-day classes in Texas on hunting, butchering, and cooking for both beginners and seasoned hunters. He has guided more than 300 students and built a strong online community.
photo courtesy of @fromfieldtoplate
Dawson Knives x From Field to Plate Collaboration
We've partnered with Chef Jeremiah and From Field to Plate to bring you the Provisioner deboning, slicing and camp culinary knife in NEW Pop's ProCut steel. Don't wait - click below to claim yours now.
“Ministry means you give it all to Jesus... It’s not easy.”
Jeremiah prays over every animal he hunts.
He loves to bring faith and hunting together in interesting ways, like his book Game & Grace: Devotions For the Hunters Table. He runs his company, From Field to Plate, on the conviction that Christ belongs at the center of everything, especially business. For him, cooking and teaching are extensions of prayer, testimony, and calling.
John tells Jeremiah that he admires his mission: “You're showing people where their food comes from and then inviting God into everything that you do.”
Jeremiah agrees: “Ministry means you give it all to Jesus.” He pauses. “It’s not easy.”
This tension—between total devotion and the stamina it requires—shapes Jeremiah’s camps, too.
“We don’t bring the camp culture of drinking and immorality. We bring prayer,” he says. “You don’t want skeletons in your closet. I want to serve the Lord and not give people a reason to doubt. I’ve lived this out since junior high.”
John asks the practical question: “Has that cost you money?”
John asks the practical question: “Has that cost you money?”
“Yes,” Jeremiah answers, without flinching. “But it’s worth it.”
He says that he even takes his enemies on hunting trips with him.
John nods. “That's incredible because most people wouldn't do that. I've met a lot of people in the hunting world, the shooting world, in these industries, and I've seen a lot of people who say that they're Christian and tout that they're Christian, yet they're running around on their wives, they're going out with these girls and shows, and all kinds of stuff. And it's all about the money. It's all about prestige and being part of the club and moving in that club. Just having your Christian values is difficult.”
It's not supposed to be easy.
“Everyone thinks things are supposed to be easy,” Jeremiah Doughty tells John Roy. “Marriage isn’t easy. You have to fight through.”
Eighteen years later, Jeremiah still believes a kitchen can be a chapel and a field can be a sanctuary. He still refuses to trade the long, faithful path for the short, easy one.
And he still has to contend with the business side — tariffs, industry headwinds, fickle algorithms. Still, the center holds. “It’s hard—tariffs, companies struggling—but I still have joy.”
“Every time I hear you talking, you’re smiling,” John replies. “And I hope people can take this story and be inspired and realize that there is no safety net but trusting God. Be that cannonball. Make that splash.”
Dawson Knives is proud to partner with Chef Jeremiah Doughty on the Dawson Knives x From Field to Plate Provisioner in NEW Pop's ProCut steel.
When a master chef pairs up with master blade makers, delicious things are bound to happen. Limited run - get yours before they're gone!
