Joel Ryan was raised by his grandparents in Alaska. He spent some time in Minnesota and returned to marry his middle school sweetheart Melissa. While raising a family of his own, he also continued his studies and graduated from the internationally renowned culinary institute Le Cordon Bleu in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Joel then completed his internship at the award winning Bayport Cookery and later became the banquet chef for Coyote Moon at Territory Golf Course.
Always dreaming of operating his own restaurant, Joel began looking for an opportunity. This is when he met Ethel Haag, owner of Haag Catering. For almost 40 years, Ethel Haag prepared meals and catered events in the Central Minnesota area. If you have attended a local wedding, graduation, or church event, there is a good chance that you have experienced Ethel's famous chicken and homemade dressing.
Slowly easing into retirement, Joel learned Ethel's recipes and eventually bought her business. Joel and Melissa are celebrating their 5th anniversary in the catering business as proud owners of HomeStyle Catering. They continue the strong tradition of Ethel's recipes and have kept several staff members who have worked with Ethel for over 20 years. The catering business has turned out to be a great area for Joel to explore and expand his culinary skills. He enjoys trying new recipes as well as cooking good honest “HomeStyle” food at an honest price