After a decade of living and working around the US and Europe, Mike returned to Portland and became a food writer and culinary event producer as that city’s food scene was about to take flight. After leading a successful conference of the International Association of Culinary Professionals (then the largest culinary association in the world), bringing hundreds of media and food-world insiders to Portland in 2010, Mike was tasked to launch the Eater Awards in New York City later that year, and recruited to oversee programming, talent and sponsorship for the largest food and wine festival in Texas–these projects launching Bolted Consulting.

The following year, Mike co-founded his own festival Feast Portland, which debuted in 2012. With deep local support and a title media partnership with Bon Appétit, Feast was an immediate success, once dubbed “perhaps the best food festival in the world” by legendary UK Guardian writer Marina O’Loughlin. In 2017, Mike joined Austin BBQ pitmaster Aaron Franklin and partners to create Hot Luck, a multi-day food and music festival in Texas.

Through Bolted, Mike has helped organizations large and small creatively solve organizational and business challenges. As a festival executive producer, he’s helped launch two of the most beloved culinary events in America. Mike has been a food critic and columnist for two prominent Portland publications, a talking head in 42 episodes of  the popular Cooking Channel show Unique Eats, a commentator for the 2022 Netflix Street Food Portland, writer of the Oregon chapter of the Phaidon America cookbook, founding co-editor of Eater Portland, and has served as a judge for the James Beard Foundation. His events have donated more than $550,000 to local and national charities. He lives in Portland and is active in civic and community organizations.