I’ve always enjoyed the art of cooking, and have always wanted to have my own way to share that with the world.

The kitchen has always been an integral part of my family’s makeup. My family was quite large, and I fondly remember our gatherings where it seemed like the focal point was always “What are we eating?”

As a kid, I was always asking what I could do to help. I like to joke that these were the early kitchen university days for me. I would start with peeling potatoes, grating cheese, and stirring soups, to eventually being trusted to turn things on the barbecue, pick out the produce for dinner, and finishing the legendary Thanksgiving gravy. I would read cookbooks for fun, and loved trying new recipes on my own just for the sake of trying them.

The beginning of my professional career though was when I got my first restaurant job at 14, working at a pizza place. It really opened my eyes to how food could be something that I could “do”. At 17, I started work as a dishwasher at a restaurant I would then work at for 12 years. I worked my way up from the dish room to a line cook, and then later to a banquet chef, making the catering orders we would get. I would join the prep team later, and then eventually get myself up to Sous Chef, really sinking my teeth into management and learning how to be a better chef and leader.

When I moved to Hawaii, I made it my goal to get back to that level of professionalism I had set for myself. I worked in some of the islands best restaurants, until I managed to land the Executive Sous Chef position at Sugar Beach Events of Hawaii. We catered events island wide, and the level of detail my former boss had us strive for really set us apart from other companies. It’s something I’ve really taken to heart, and it’s made all the difference in my skill. I also spent some time working on some local farms, which was an amazing experience that I would encourage anyone to try. There is simply nothing like taking something from a seed to harvesting an ingredient I’m using to cook dinner with. It was incredibly rewarding.

I had always dreamed of having a business of my own someday, and felt like the time was finally right for me to venture out on my own and share my joy and passion for cooking with everyone. I promise that a dinner, cooking lesson, event (or whatever you need us to do!), will be done with high quality ingredients, professionalism, and attention to detail.