Michael van Vliet
Hi, it’s me, Michael — the tall half of the dynamic duo behind Fresh Off The Grid. I’ve been developing camping meals for over a decade now, and everything I share is based on real experience out in the field.
Experience
I’m a self-taught home cook and lifelong camper. Originally from New England, I’m very into practicality, so my cooking style tends to be simple, functional, and no-nonsense. Perfect for camping!
Megan (my girlfriend-turned-business-partner-turned-wife) and I started Fresh Off The Grid in 2015. We quit our desk jobs in Los Angeles, sold all of our stuff, and spent a year camping around North America out of my Ford Focus hatchback.
From that experience, I gained an intimate understanding of all the challenges of outdoor cooking. I’ve seen it all: bad weather, missing utensils, wet firewood, fuel running low at the worst possible time. Ever tried cooking tacos at night without a headlamp in a windstorm at Great Sand Dunes National Park? I have.
I also learned what makes a great camping meal: something simple and satisfying that comes together easily and lets you connect more deeply with your surroundings and your fellow campers.
Fresh Off The Grid started as a passion project, but over time, it’s grown into a leading online resource for camp cooking. Somewhere along the way, I transitioned from a recreational camper with strong food opinions into a full-time recipe developer and food photographer. It’s the dream job I never knew existed!
My goal is to help others enjoy great food in the great outdoors. It’s easier than you think, and you can have a great time doing it too! Remember: this is camping, and you’re supposed to be having fun!
Expertise
Not all camping is created equal—and neither is camp cooking. Each style of camping has its own quirks, limitations, and possibilities. I’ve had the chance to experience (and cook for) just about all of them.
⛺️ Car Camping
The core of my outdoor cooking experience. I’ve spent hundreds of hours standing in front of a two-burner camp stove or crouched over a campfire. I feel more at home cooking at a campsite than I do anywhere else.
Favorite Meal: Seafood Paella at Beverly Beach Campground
🏍 Motorcycle Camping
From 2011–2015, I rode a BMW 1150 GS and took a lot of two-up camping trips around Southern California. This minimalist style of cooking sits somewhere between car camping and backpacking. To be young and wild… it’s the style of camping I feel most nostalgic about.
Favorite Meal: Hot Toddies at Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite
🥾 Backpacking
Megan got me into backcountry trips in 2013. We started with overnights and eventually built up to hiking the John Muir Trail for our honeymoon. Dehydrating, calorie-to-weight ratios, alpenglow dinners—backpacking is a higher-stakes, higher-reward style of camp cooking.
Favorite Meal: Dehydrated Mushroom Risotto on the Trans-Catalina Trail
🚐 Van Life
In 2019, we lived out of a self-built camper van for a full year. With a tiny kitchen, running water, and a fridge, I learned how to make real meals in a very small space.
Favorite Meal: Focaccia baked in an Omnia Oven during the COVID lockdown in a Bend trailer park
🙃 Camping with Kids
The newest (and most unpredictable) chapter of our camping journey.
Favorite Meal: Anything our toddler will eat—ideally without throwing it.
I draw upon all of these lived experiences when developing recipes or writing a gear article. Real trips, real conditions, and real human taste buds.
Featured Work
My work has been featured and shared by:
- REI
- Outside Magazine
- Eddie Bauer
- Backcountry
- Overland Journal