The Jedi chef of RVing: Meet David Lee
We are always on the lookout for interesting and creative RVers, so we were elated at the chance to enter the fascinating world of David Lee, better known as RVJEDEYE. A self-proclaimed Star Wars geek and avid traveller, David’s journey into RVing started with fond childhood camping memories and a fateful visit to an RV festival in Buellton, California. From renovating his first Class C RV to upgrading to his "New-2-Me" 2018 Winnebago Travato, David’s story is filled with lessons, challenges, and plenty of inspiration for anyone looking to embrace the RV lifestyle.
Whether it’s whipping up gourmet meals in his compact RV kitchen or exploring picturesque state parks, David has mastered the art of living well on the road. We wanted to know more, and he was kind enough to give us a sneak peek.
- Photo courtesy David Lee
What inspired you to start RVing?
I was very fortunate as a kid to have my parents take my brother and I camping. We did it the old-school way, with canvas tents and sleeping bags. My family and a couple of others would go to a small island off of Maine you had to reach by boat. It would always rain and we were soaked and muddy but we loved being out there and exploring and having a blast as kids. So, I’ve always had those memories growing up and after I went to the Buellton Bash and saw all of the amazing retro campers, I knew I wanted to do something like that. At the time I was living in an apartment and there was no place to get an old trailer and work on it, so what I did was start looking online and all over the web at people who did renos and saved them in a little file so that one day if the time came I’d have some resources to pull from to do it myself.
Fast forward to 2013, I moved to Tallahassee, Florida, for a job and after living there for a couple of years and finally feeling a little secure in my job, but not ready to buy a house, I stumbled onto a Camping World lot in Midway, Florida. Found a Class C and the rest as they say, is history.
How did you decide on your 2018 Winnebago, and what do you love about it?
The last RV I owned was a 2005 Winnebago Sightseer that I did a full reno on and loved it. However, when I was bringing it across the country from Green Bay to Seattle, the engine blew. I wasn’t able to replace it, so I did everything I could to pay it off and then donate it to charity and then I was back at square one looking for my next rig.
I spent a lot of time going to RV shows and looking on the web at rigs, but the biggest help is I had two sets of friends who had Class B RVs. I got to hang out and see a Coachmen Beyond and a Winnebago Travato, up close and personal—and when I toured both of them, I really fell in love with the size and maneuverability of them both and that’s when I said to myself, I have to go Class B. At first I thought I was going to try to pay for my RV outright, but to get into a Class B, it was going to be more expensive, so I had to come to terms with the fact that I was going to have to have payments if I wanted to make this jump, so I did a budget, started searching all over the country and found a deal that worked for me.
What was the learning curve like when you first got into RVing?
High! I had never owned an RV and the only time I had been in anything was the Buellton Bash, so I spent a ton of time on YouTube. I had my orientation at Camping World when I bought it and that was basically it. I had to learn everything from scratch. I remember when I was picking up the RV, they took me around the store to pick up some things and I got my first sewer hose and to be honest, I hadn’t even really thought about HOW you empty a tank and didn’t even know that I needed one of these. Over the years as I’ve moved through two other RVS, my Class A and now my Class B, there are still things I need to learn. For me, YouTube has been one of the best places to see how things are done. With my Travato, I’m a part of the “Travato Owners and Wannabes” group and THAT has been one of the best places I’ve used to find answers on things with my rig.
- Photo courtesy David Lee
How did you come up with your moniker, RVJEDEYE?
I am a huge, self-proclaimed Star Wars geek! (Long before it was Star Wars: Episode Four a New Hope, back when it was just Star Wars.) So I knew I wanted to do a YouTube page to pay it forward, if you will. Something to share my experiences on the journey with other folks who might be in the same boat as I was, so I needed a name… I didn’t want to get sued by Disney, so I came up with RVJEDEYE and love it! It clearly lets folks know, I love to RV and love Star Wars.
What’s been one of your most memorable adventures in the Travato so far?
I guess there have been three honestly… the first, which may be cheating a little, was bringing my RV back from where I bought it in Wichita. I flew out and picked up my rig at Wichita RV, which I found out a couple of months ago closed right after I bought my rig. But that trip back across country was my first time in my Travato and like your first love you will always remember it.
Once I got the RV, there were two really cool trips, one to “Pacific Beach State Park” in Washington. I love water, love the ocean and that was an amazing trip.
The other trip was down to Oregon for the first time and “L.L. Stub Stewart Memorial State Park.” This was my first Oregon State park and it was one of the best state parks out there.
- Photo courtesy David Lee
What’s a dream RV trip you’d like to take someday?
I’d like to do a full loop of the United States. I don’t see that happening anytime soon. I still have to work to pay the bills, but I’d love to head East, go back down South, drive back across the country to West Coast and then back up North, maybe hitting up Canada before coming back to Washington.
Tell us about “Cheffing-It-Up!”—where did your love of cooking in the RV come from?
I learned to cook in school, back in my day we had “Home-Ec” so we learned cooking there, but where I really loved to cook was with my Mom. I loved helping and watching her cook and as I grew up, I kept on cooking. Now when I’m out and about I try to “Chef-It-Up” whenever I can. I like to show people you can have fun with your meals, like I always say… it’s my motto, “There is no need to eat poorly on the road!”
- Photo courtesy David Lee
What’s your go-to recipe for a great meal on the road?
This is a tough question, I really don’t have one go-to recipe because every time I’m out, I really like to try new things and continue to give folks cool ideas on what to do when they’re out and about. I’ve done everything from a chocolate-strawberry coconut cake in 1:34 seconds to cold udon soup to deep dish pizza.
If you held me down and said make a choice, I guess what I might say is a type of meal… What is my go-to type of meal on the road and that would be breakfast. It’s the one that starts the day. I have my coffee with me, I’m listening to NPR’s “Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me” and it sets the tone for the day, usually before a cool hike.
Do you have any plans for future upgrades or customizations?
Yes, but I’m still not 100% sure what they are going to be. I feel like I'm still really learning the RV and there are some things I’m keeping my eye on when it comes to tweaking. The biggest thing that I have to figure out right now is what to really bring with me on a regular basis. Right now, I have a lot of stuff in my rig from car camping and my old RV and quite frankly I don’t really need all of the stuff. I’ve only been in the Travato for about 8 months, so I’m still working on pairing down what I need to bring with me on a regular basis and then I’ll be able to figure out what I want to do to the rig.
- Photo courtesy David Lee
Any tips for other RVers who want to start “Cheffing-It-Up!” in their rigs?
Yes… cook what you would at home and just find a way to do it on the road. You can adapt almost anything that you love to eat at home to an RV or even to tent camping. Think hard about what you love and then write out your home recipe for it and think about how you might try it on the road. The biggest piece of advice I can share and lots of folks have heard me say it in my videos, is do as much of your “mise en place” at home. Do all of your chopping and prep work at home before you hit the road, so that when it’s time to cook, you’re good to go.
Do you have any favourite ingredients or cooking tools you always bring along?
Spices, spices, spices! I carry a lot of them with, but I would say, other than salt & pepper, make sure you keep garlic powder and paprika with you. These work with almost anything. The other thing I would say is keep at least one good nonstick pan with a lid, you can cook anything with that.
What’s the biggest challenge you’ve had so far in the RV kitchen?
Learning the “dance” if you will in my new rig. The kitchen is small and counter space is tough, but figuring out how to move in the RV is the challenge for now. Once I get really comfortable with how to move and where to put things when I’m cooking—and let’s face it, I shoot most of it for YouTube—where to put the camera to shoot, I think it will get easier and easier.
- Photo courtesy David Lee
Is there anything else you would like to share?
Yeah, if you are thinking about making the leap to getting an RV, do it. Like Nike says, “Just do it.” When I got my first RV someone told me, in your lifetime once you start you’ll go through about seven. I laughed and while I started relatively late in life, I’ve already gone through three!
Find an RV that fits your budget first and foremost. It doesn’t have to be new, it just has to be yours and learn. Make your mistakes, have fun with it and once you’ve done it for a bit, you’ll know/learn what you want in your next RV and it gets easier and easier.
The one thing for me when it comes to RVing is, it’s all about the experiences out there. Once you start, you’re not going to want to give it up any time soon.
