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About
I was raised on a small Cattle Farm in Northern Louisiana. To keep us out of trouble and keep us in spending money which eventually got us back into trouble, my dad turned all his sons into farm laborers. We worked on Saturdays when other kids were sleeping and after school and in the mornings and until it got dark and we couldn't see anymore. That taught me the work ethic I needed to be a successful chef. At 15, tired of farm work and in need of a car, I started working at what I thought was the best place in town. The local pizza joint. Before long I was trusted to work the 600 degree deck ovens on the busiest weekend nights. It was amazing and I probably would have worked for free.
Later in college, I fell in love with hard wood smoked BBQ. I studied some too and ended up with a Psychology degree which seemed useless at the time but would come in very handy later. From there, I decided to venture off to culinary school in Thibodaux, LA. I learned how to make everything Cajun/ Creole while sinking knee deep in South Louisiana culture. I met fisherman, alligator hunters, gigged for frogs and met real Cajuns with cool boats who still live off the bayous and swamps. I also had the opportunity to work for John Folse and Company at Lafitte's Landing. We cooked Cajun/ Creole cuisine for South Louisiana's most elite. Instead of pizza and bbq, I was cooking filet mignon, jumbo gulf shrimp and lamb chops at a a 5 star Dirona awarded restaurant and I loved it.
After graduating at age 25, I was asked to be the Executive Chef of a local bed and breakfast. The very first task was to design and execute a dish for the Mardis Gras Ball in Washington D.C. for 1500 ppl. That was basically how my professional career began. I was later noticed by a group of investors and given the opportunity to open a prime steak house. Since then I've fed, Governors, Senators, professional athletes, TV personalities, Rock and Roll gods, and comedians and worked with companies like Nike, Ebay, Adidas, Intel, Mozilla and Google to name a few. Who says food isn't exciting?
I met my Connecticut born half Italian wife in Louisiana and I fed her fried chicken and cheesecake. She fed me lasagna in reciprocation and a few years later we were married in Warwick, Rhode Island. Just like clockwork, our daughter Zoe was born several months later. While in New England I discovered a whole new cuisine which changed me forever. I discovered recipes like Portuguese fisherman's stew, lobster grill cheese sandwiches and chorizo stuffies. The seafood was amazing and for the first time I could finally use local exotic ingredients I had previously only seen in cookbooks.
I have experience with Cajun/ Creole, Steakhouse, New England, BBQ, Italian, Pacific Northwest and Southern cuisines along with Desserts and Breads. I can also do end to end product development with reliable pricing, training and execution. While catering, I researched, designed and executed many themed menus including Indian, Chinese, Brazilian, Japanese, Peruvian and Russian to name a few. I have opened restaurants, merged companies, moved companies and set up numerous temporary kitchens on rooftops, city streets, polo fields, and hall closets.
I appreciate leadership, human resource management, budgets and all things that make for successful businesses. I love being responsible to employees, investors and owners. I place a high importance on learning and continual improvement. One of my greatest pleasures is watching young chefs grow, learn and succeed.
Later in college, I fell in love with hard wood smoked BBQ. I studied some too and ended up with a Psychology degree which seemed useless at the time but would come in very handy later. From there, I decided to venture off to culinary school in Thibodaux, LA. I learned how to make everything Cajun/ Creole while sinking knee deep in South Louisiana culture. I met fisherman, alligator hunters, gigged for frogs and met real Cajuns with cool boats who still live off the bayous and swamps. I also had the opportunity to work for John Folse and Company at Lafitte's Landing. We cooked Cajun/ Creole cuisine for South Louisiana's most elite. Instead of pizza and bbq, I was cooking filet mignon, jumbo gulf shrimp and lamb chops at a a 5 star Dirona awarded restaurant and I loved it.
After graduating at age 25, I was asked to be the Executive Chef of a local bed and breakfast. The very first task was to design and execute a dish for the Mardis Gras Ball in Washington D.C. for 1500 ppl. That was basically how my professional career began. I was later noticed by a group of investors and given the opportunity to open a prime steak house. Since then I've fed, Governors, Senators, professional athletes, TV personalities, Rock and Roll gods, and comedians and worked with companies like Nike, Ebay, Adidas, Intel, Mozilla and Google to name a few. Who says food isn't exciting?
I met my Connecticut born half Italian wife in Louisiana and I fed her fried chicken and cheesecake. She fed me lasagna in reciprocation and a few years later we were married in Warwick, Rhode Island. Just like clockwork, our daughter Zoe was born several months later. While in New England I discovered a whole new cuisine which changed me forever. I discovered recipes like Portuguese fisherman's stew, lobster grill cheese sandwiches and chorizo stuffies. The seafood was amazing and for the first time I could finally use local exotic ingredients I had previously only seen in cookbooks.
I have experience with Cajun/ Creole, Steakhouse, New England, BBQ, Italian, Pacific Northwest and Southern cuisines along with Desserts and Breads. I can also do end to end product development with reliable pricing, training and execution. While catering, I researched, designed and executed many themed menus including Indian, Chinese, Brazilian, Japanese, Peruvian and Russian to name a few. I have opened restaurants, merged companies, moved companies and set up numerous temporary kitchens on rooftops, city streets, polo fields, and hall closets.
I appreciate leadership, human resource management, budgets and all things that make for successful businesses. I love being responsible to employees, investors and owners. I place a high importance on learning and continual improvement. One of my greatest pleasures is watching young chefs grow, learn and succeed.
