Mills was born in East Texas and originally studied performance art and opera at Centenary College of Louisiana, before deciding to focus on cooking. He attended the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco and worked with many of the city’s great chefs, eventually working up to becoming a chef himself. In 1999, Mills moved to Hawai’i Island to focus more on farm and ranch work. He was the Executive Chef for Roaring Lion Ranch Hawai’i and Montana for 10 years until his first daughter Hali’a was born.

For years, Mills planned and worked toward his dream of opening up a whole animal butcher shop/restaurant in Waimea and in 2016 that dream was finally realized. His vision was to have a business that only utilized products from Hawai’i Island because he knew that the best produce and livestock in the state was being grown and raised right here. As of 2022, Waimea Butcher Shop has worked with hundreds of ranches, farmers, chefs, restaurants, and other local businesses helping to support our island by showcasing quality local products. By only working with local companies, Waimea Butcher Shop has kept millions of dollars here on Hawai’i Island.