Who I am as a cook is a complilation of all the events that I have gone through in my life. There is a great quote, “the sum of the events makes up the man.” I love that. I started out my humble career as a dishwasher at a place called the Pasta House Co. There was a sign hanging over the main line that said “PRIDE”. Every person that worked there took that sign to heart. There were rugby players, computer science majors, musicians… but we were all cooks, servers, hosts, floor managers, and chefs when we walked in the door. It was a place where none of the shit of the real world existed. Just one ticket at a time, and no cutting corners when it came to cooking the food, serving the food, seating the guests, and saying “thank you very much for coming in, can’t wait to see you again”.
I love this job. Everything about it. I have worked in places like Taverna Tagaris, Preservation Kitchen, Sorrento Hotel, Chihuly Garden and Glass, and Mansion on Turtle Creek, to name a few. I have managed dining services for Google and Microsoft, done events for thousands, and also for 8 people at their house. I've cooked for all sorts of people in my career; Presidents, CEO’s and also for people without labels.
At the end of the day we do this for one reason and one reason only, to make people happy. The instant gratification that occurs when a person takes a bite of a truly well made dish of food. That is why. That is the heart of the matter.
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