“I got into cooking when I took a job as a dishwasher right
out of high school. One thing led to another. I guess
I fell into it in a sense. Growing up, I always liked food.
Especially good bread, good pasta. My grandmother was
Italian and she influenced the cooking in our house.”

“What’s great about my job? Probably most is the creativity
aspect. Number two would be the people who work
for me—it’s a very diverse group. And, also, the satisfaction
when people say, ‘That’s the best meal I’ve ever
had.’ I like that—that’s great.”