This site is dedicated to cooking great food and experimentation. I’m always trying to push boundaries while better understanding the ingredients that I use. Take a look around maybe you’ll get inspired by some new food ideas, music pairings, watching a few videos or just taking it all in. I’m always collaborating with chefs in order to push forward a few fun ideas. Glad to have you here!
THE BEGINNING
Years ago my awareness of connecting fresh quality food with good meals gradually happened. I’m still learning, but the education that I’ve received so far has been great. I grew up in the food industry. My Grandfather owned a restaurant, my Grandmother had a garden that she always used for various dishes and my Mother taught me how to prepare dishes from scratch at a very young age.
As I got older I started to take cooking a bit more seriously by staging in various restaurants like Blackbird and Otom. I figured the best way for me to enhance my skills was to work for free in a Michelin star restaurant. I started making the connection of quality ingredients with the quality of life.
I was inspired by visiting rustic butcher shops and bakeries in Chicago and New York. I love old bakeries and the interaction between the patrons and the butcher. I also enjoy specialty stores that focus on imported and local food ingredients. When I began seeing more specialty food items made here in the U.S., I thought to myself, “I can do the same thing!” Meaning, make specialty food and dishes and create that same feeling between the patrons and the food producers. It was cool to see various cities and their unique food culture. I noticed that the companies who were making these goods didn’t use a lot of preservatives. They kept their ingredients simple. It was very traditional, bright, fun and I loved it. Restaurants like my grandfathers were dying, but I wanted to keep the spirit of my Grandfathers restaurant so I launched the catering company. During my free weekends, I would visit the farm where I resourced my free-range turkeys and produce. People could taste the difference which was important so I catered to various businesses which helped me get back to the basics of food preparation in the traditional sense. After years of running a catering business, I am continuing to keep the spirit of my Grandfathers restaurant by creating enjoyable dishes and bringing people together. And hopefully, this site will work as a catalyst to do so.