2017 40 Under 40 Yearbook: Eric Zackrison, 47

Then: Owner/chef, Agrario
Now: Graduate student, University of California-Santa Barbara

Eric Zackrison went from a Midwest kitchen to a California classroom since his 2005 40 Under 40 award. The chef was known locally for starting upscale restaurant the Agrario and Patton Alley Pub.

Then, the culinary entrepreneur got a bug for education and went west – to University of California-Santa Barbara.

“I wanted to do something that would give me more freedom to spend time with my kids,” Zackrison says of Eva, 11, and Nolan, 7.

He’s a graduate student in the communication department, finishing his doctorate and doing consulting work on the side.

“The entrepreneurial bug is still with me,” he says.