Why I Traded Beltway Traffic for Northern Lights

I grew up in Hanover, Penn., with my grandparents around. My grandmother is an adorable French lady who moved here after World War II; I remember her showing me how to make eggs in an amazing little cast-iron pan she brought over from France.

I started working in restaurants when I was 13. My brother was working at a little family-run seafood restaurant, and one day the dishwasher didn’t show up, so he called...