Can you hear me now? An Unexpected Journey From Kitchen to Hearing Specialist, a Tequesta - Jupiter Hearing Center Owners Story

Article by John Pacenti
Photos by Alexis Dominguez

Mitch Rockwell can’t sit still.

Mitch Rockwell, owner of Rockwell's Hearing Center in Tequesta, emphasizes comprehensive care for his patients.

'I do everything bundled' he says. 'If you purchase hearing aids from me, all follow-up visits are at no charge.'

As a result, Rockwell’s career path reads like an adventurous roadmap, winding through restaurant kitchens,opticianry practices, and finally landing in the world of hearing healthcare.

At 48, he has transformed a series of professional challenges into the thriving Rockwell’s Hearing Center in Tequesta, which he opened a year ago.

His journey began in the high-pressure world of commercial cooking. As an executive chef in Gainesville, Rockwell managed a kitchen with 125 employees by age 20.

"The problem with commercial cooking is that it's every night, every weekend, and your shifts are anywhere from 12 to 14 hours," he recalled.

The demanding restaurant environment took its toll, both physically and mentally. He actually lived the kitchen horrorscapes that late chef Anthony Bourdain wrote about in Kitchen Confidential.

Also, during this time, he was a dedicated musician. Quite literally a rock ’n’ roll chef, navigating through multiple instruments with persistent determination. He started playing drums, then trumpet, then did jazz trumpet, then hand percussion, then bass, and ultimately settled on guitar.

"It was basically whatever band I was in, I would learn to play whatever I needed to so I could fit in," he said.

Guitar proved particularly challenging, with Rockwell describing it as the hardest instrument he'd learned. "I wouldn't say I was a natural," he said.

His musical background mirrors his professional life – a pattern of adaptability, continuous learning, and willingness to embrace new challenges.

Seeking a professional change from the kitchen, Rockwell began his career in optics, starting as a lab tech for an eyeglass company with four locations. He quickly earned the position of managing all four of their labs.

In the early 2000s he moved to the Treasure Coast, taking a position as general manager in a struggling optometry practice, transforming it into a $3 million annual business. While there, he became licensed as an optician, fitting glasses and contact lenses, overseeing the fabrication of lenses, cutting them to fit frames, and ensuring everything is correct.

Rockwell is part healthcare professional, part audio engineer, working to match each patient's unique hearing profile.

"[Being an optician is kind of like being] a pharmacist for glasses," he said.

After becoming licensed as an optician, Rockwell went back to college for the second time to start the study of microbiology while simultaneously teaching continuing education classes for other opticians.

In 2010 Rockwell was approached by a competing optical practice. The owner needed someone who had his expertise in practice and developmental management, who could launch a hearing clinic within the optical shop.

This move prompted Rockwell to become licensed as a hearing instrument specialist, a process that took approximately two years. His motivation was deeply personal: a desire to spend more meaningful time with patients.

"With hearing, you get to actually take time with people," Rockwell said. "You get to know about them, what their lifestyle is like. With vision you are taught to do refraction (eye tests) quickly to prevent malingering and as a result, you never get to build a serious bond with the patient."

Unlike vision exams, which focus on precise measurements, hearing assessments require a more nuanced approach. Rockwell describes himself as part healthcare professional, part audio engineer, meticulously programming hearing devices to match each patient's unique hearing profile.

Modern hearing aids are sophisticated miniature computers, capable of fine-tuning sound at discrete frequencies. Rockwell's approach involves comprehensive testing, understanding a patient's most comfortable sound levels, and programming devices to suppress sudden, jarring noises.

His business philosophy emphasizes comprehensive care. "I do everything bundled," he explained. "If you purchase hearing aids from me, all follow-up visits are at no charge."

Rockwell said his hearing center sees individuals in their mid-30s seeking baseline screenings, to patients from 50 to 90 who are experiencing hearing loss.

He encourages everyone to get a baseline reading. “Even if you don’t feel you have a hearing loss you should have a standard hearing test every five years and once a year if you do have a loss.”

Rockwell's diverse background - from cooking to vision care to hearing healthcare - has equipped him with unique management skills.

"Running [several types of businesses] taught me to manage multiple priorities simultaneously," he said. "You're handling inventory, patient care, dealing with doctors from multiple practices, training employees, and ensuring every patient is satisfied."

He sees patient care in hearing healthcare through a similar lens. "Managing the product that comes in and managing your employees is very simple," Rockwell said. "Managing the patient healthcare is much more difficult."

Today, Rockwell operates his hearing clinic, continuing to apply the same meticulous attention to detail that characterized his previous careers. His ultimate goal is to incorporate optical into his hearing healthcare clinic.