Fishpaws Says Goodbye to Head Chef and Wine Manager

Kurt Clodfelter met Kim Lawson, owner of Fishpaws Marketplace in Arnold, at a turning point in his life.

When Clodfelter began his education at Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in 1998, he was already showing symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS). Assuming the numbness in his legs was due to stress or a car accident he was in earlier in the year, Clodfelter continued his work at CIA, graduating in 2000 from the famed New York cooking school.

Clodfelter, a Glen Burnie resident, said the next few years were spent working in restaurants as both a chef and a consultant.

“I spent a few years bouncing from place to place,” Clodfelter said. “I helped open restaurants, I hired staff, I made up menus and I cooked.”

In the spring of 2003, Clodfelter was working on kitchen prep in the early morning hours, when his legs went numb, causing him to fall and hit his head. The owner of Blazin' Steaks came into the restaurant to find Clodfelter passed out on the floor.

“That was the beginning of the end of my career as a restaurant chef,” Clodfelter said.

The next several months were made up of doctors visits, MRIs and an eventual diagnosis of MS.

“Come to find out, I had lived with MS since 1998 but had no idea that MS was the cause of the symptoms I had been experiencing,” Clodfelter said.

“My doctor asked me, 'What do you do for a living, Kurt?' I said, 'I'm a chef.' He laughed and said, 'No, that's what you used to do.' That destroyed me,” Clodfelter said.

The next several years found Clodfelter working as a seafood supplier, a freelance food writer and the manager of several Chipotle restaurants. After additional issues with his MS, Clodfelter spent three months on disability in 2006.

Working at Fishpaws

“I walked into a great situation at Fishpaws. The store had just undergone a renovation and had gone from a beer and bait shop to a the built-out wine store and deli that it is today,” Clodfelter said. “The store didn't need triage, it just needed polishing.”

Clodfelter was animated when he spoke about his work with Lawson over the last five years.

“I wanted to offer Fishpaws customers someone they could trust for a wine recommendation. I wanted them to feel like we were their personal sommelier. I feel that a wine is only the perfect wine if you like it, and I wanted customers to know that I would do whatever I could to help them find their perfect wine—a wine that would go with their food or occasion perfectly,” he said.

For the last several years, Clodfelter and Lawson have teamed up to make several additions and changes to Fishpaws Marketplace, including a wine tasting bar, an expanded wine selection, a hot food bar and a wine club.

Clodfelter's time at Fishpaws also brought about a chance for him to enter a cooking contest sponsored by J Lohr wines.

“The recipe had to include J Lohr Chardonnay and had to pair with the Chardonnay as well,” Clodfelter said. “I made a shrimp, avocado and papaya salad where the shrimp was poached in J Lohr Chardonnay and I won. My recipe was featured on more than a million bottles of J Lohr Chardonnay and I was published in the J Lohr cookbook.”

Clodfelter said this accomplishment was what made him truly reflect on all that he had achieved in his time at Fishpaws.

“This was the high point in my five years at Fishpaws. I felt that I had taught my customers that it was safe to explore wines and that people truly respected my opinion. I was a published chef and I was proud of my accomplishments at Fishpaws—not bad for a guy with MS,” he said.

Time to Move On

It was this point in his time at Fishpaws that Clodfelter said he realized it was time to move on.

“Every goal I had for the store had come to fruition. When I manage somewhere, my goal is to work myself out of a job. The store has come so far and is doing so well, there's really no need for me to stay,” he said.

Clodfelter leaves Fishpaws in good hands, having hired a new deli manager and a wine manager who is a certified sommelier. Lawson spoke highly of Clodfelter and of their time working together.

“Kurt has given 100 percent throughout his five years. He will obviously be missed, but we truly do wish him the best in his future endeavors. I know he will find much success.”

Clodfelter still is ironing out the details of his next adventure. While he kept quiet about the specifics, he shared that he is extremely excited about his future plans.

“I have an opportunity to change my corner of the world. Every man's dream is to set out on his own and have a go at accomplishing something he started from scratch," he said. "I can't talk about my next project just yet, but I can say it will be my baby and it will be a dream come true for me.”

In addition to his next business venture, Clodfelter will be offering both private cooking lessons and group wine tastings. Contact Chef Kurt at kurtclodfelter@gmail.com for booking information.