Obituary of Nathan James Ciardelli

Nathan James Ciardelli was born on February 12, 1986. The first child, and only son, of Mike and Diane Ciardelli of Rosemount, MN. Nathan was the big brother to Abigail (Abby) Ciardelli-Nelson of Minneapolis and Caleigh Patton of Burnsville. He enjoyed having two wonderful brother-in-law’s Ryan Nelson and Jourdon Patton. He was the proud uncle to his nephew Reece Michael Patton. He had a large extended family of 28 aunts and uncles and over 45 cousins. But mostly he was the wonderful, fun-loving father to his daughter, Audrey Ann Ciardelli, age 7, of St. Paul.

Nathan grew up in Eagan and Rosemount and made life-long friends along the way. He graduated from Rosemount High School in 2004 and spent the next 14 years as a line cook, kitchen manager, executive chef, private chef, and catering company business owner. 

Cooking was his passion from an early age as he often brought out pots and pans in the kitchen as a little boy and threw in onions and potatoes and proclaimed, “This is my delicious soup!” His cooking career gravitated towards newly opened restaurants or hotels. He worked for many years for Radisson and Sheraton Hotels, creating menus and catering events. He loved to make food from scratch as he had learned to do with his mom and dad and even cooked with Wolfgang Puck during a local cooking segment on WCCO as his sous chef.

In 2006 he moved to Colorado with a few friends and lived the life of a snow-boarding bum, dropping in on the A-Basin and shredding the gnarly slopes of Keystone, Breckenridge, and Copper Mountain. He loved looking out his backyard at the beautiful Rocky Mountains and made several trips to Colorado after moving back to Minnesota in 2009. He was an excellent snowboarder and in typical Nathan style he took the ungroomed trails and paths versus the normal runs. Most recently he started his own business, Gnarly Slope Gutters and Ice Damn Removal, as a tribute to his favorite pastime.

Nathan was also gifted mechanically and amazed his grandma Joan by setting up and programming the VCR, when he was only 4. He spent the last few years restoring a Harley Davidson motorcycle with custom parts and paintwork he did himself. He named his creation, Copper Penny, and earned more than a few admirers when he brought the bike to the Sturgis rally in South Dakota. He also won several awards in bike shows that he was proud of. In 2020, he road the Tail of the Dragon in Tellico Plains, TN with his good friend Austin who shared his passion for riding.

However most days and nights, you could find him dedicating his time and giving all he could to his beautiful daughter Audrey. You could find them riding horses, bowling, playing arcade games, at a local fair, or snuggled up together when the day was done. She was his pride and joy and shared his sense of adventure with her curious nature and outgoing personality. 

Nathan had many passions and was not afraid to dive into the next opportunity or project. He was an animal lover and dog-dad to his beloved Killer and Bearsie. He was an artist and a dreamer and not afraid to show it. He marched to the beat of a different drum but that’s why we all loved him and why we all have so many good “Nathan” stories to tell and remember him by. We’ll miss you Nathan and will search for your spirit on the slopes, on the road, or anytime we share a good meal together.

A memorial service in his honor will be held on Sunday, April 2nd at 2 p.m. at Valleywood Golf Course, 4851 McAndrews Road, Apple Valley, MN.