ROB ANDERSON

Rob Anderson is a writer, chef and entrepreneur.

As a journalist, Rob worked for outlets including the Boston Globe, the Washington Post, The New Republic, the American Prospect and the Center for American Progress. His writing has also appeared in the Atlantic.

Rob left his desk job in 2013 to open a restaurant in Provincetown, Massachusetts. As the co-owner and chef of the Canteen, he steered the restaurant from a startup into a joyful, financially robust and community-centered institution — owned, led and operated by a team of mostly LGBTQIA, female, immigrant and PoC workers. Widely recognized as a beloved summertime destination on Cape Cod, the Canteen also serves as a culinary trendsetter, business-practice trailblazer and year-round economic engine for the region.

After a decade at the helm of the Canteen — including the rocky Covid years — Rob took a step back to focus on his health and personal growth, including transformational trips to the Bridge to Recovery and the Modern Elder Academy.

Rob grew up in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan, and received a degree in American and African American Studies from Georgetown University. At Georgetown he co-led a student movement pressuring the school to create a support center for LGBTQIA students, a first at any Catholic school. He also proudly served as the editor of the university’s storied alternative newsweekly, the Georgetown Voice.

He received a masters in journalism from Columbia University.

Before opening the Canteen, Rob attended the International Culinary Center and staged in kitchens around New York City.

More importantly, to those who know him best, Rob is a determined and intense force of energy; has a supernatural ability to see directly to the heart of people and situations; and is known for employing a deeply dark and dry sense of humor at the worst and best of times. One day, Rob hopes to be remembered for a tendency toward compassion and generosity.

Rob lives in Massachusetts, splitting his time between Cambridge and Cape Cod. He prefers dogs to humans, music over silence and ice cream above all else.

He is currently sleeping 8 hours a night and writing his first book.