About The Chow Line

Since 2015 I have offered detailed and accurate reproductions of military rations carried by American soldiers in combat from 1900 through the late 1970s. I take great pride in my work and strive to meet the exacting standards of display that many prominent museums hold when considering the use of replica material in the exhibits and educational programs. All of my replicas are made in small batches by hand to ensure a high quality reproduction able to be put on display next to original artifacts whether that be at a reenactment, in a personal collection, or in a museum exhibit. Many items I make are specialty items at a customers request. I specialize in replicating rare rations needed to fill gaps in a collection, or meant to perform a specific role in a museums display. I do not maintain a stock of items, small batches of replicas are made then sold and re-stock of that item is not certain.

Chow Line Credentials

I am an academic American historian by trade specializing in museum exhibits and curation and military subsistence technology as well as the progressive era, labor radicalism, Americanization, WWI humanitarianism, and the 1918 Flu Pandemic. I graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelors in history and minor in anthropology and also hold a Masters in American history with a focus in Public History that emphasized museum studies and exhibits from Northern Illinois University in addition to an Associates Degree in Science from Kishwaukee Community College.

In addition to the two years collegiate teaching experience I have as a history department graduate assistant I also have over 400 hours of museum internship work with such institutions as the Glidden Foundation, United States Quartermaster Museum, and Army Air Artillery Training School Museum. For them I provided a range of services from replica ration components to designing and building small exhibit spaces. I have also conducted exhibit work and offered exhibit consultation separate from internship work to Midway Village Museum and the Grand Army of the Republic Museum. I have provided many more museums across the country with replica military rations over the years and even had my worked used on the television series "This is Us."

I have been a part of the military reenactment community since the age of fifteen, and have a particular interest in United States Marine Corps history where I specialize in combat history and equipment development with a collection of militaria to reflect this. The Chow Line was born out of this love for Marine Corps history, my passion for reenacting and teaching, a deep interest in food culture, food history, and military subsistence technologies, some twenty years experience as a scale model builder, and my undergraduate and masters work. I use my collegiate training in the field of history to advance what I make for the Chow Line especially where researching primary source material is concerned, and my experience making exhibits and models to ensure my replicas are as accurate as possible.