I believe that great success comes from hard work and dedication. The best food takes time to come together, so while you wait I would love to share my culinary journey with you. I am the rare breed that was born and raised here in Venice, Florida.

In my mid 20s, I was presented an opportunity to work and travel to Mackinac Island which sparked the traveling bug inside of me. I needed to experience more, learn more, cook more… which led me to Estes Park, Colorado where I was privileged to work at the Stanley Hotel. For those who are unaware, this is the same hotel that Stephen King and his wife stayed that inspired him to write “The Shining”. I spent time as a bartender there, creating a cocktail known as the “Red Rum Mai Tai.”

Eventually, bartending led me to an opportunity to actually cook in Put-n-Bay, Ohio. The chef I worked with had just graduated from culinary school and taught me the beauty of making food from scratch. This ignited the passion for cooking inside of me and I knew this is what I was made for. The travel bug bit me again, this time landing me in Bar Harbor, Maine which quickly became my second home for the next 11 straight summers as I worked for the largest independently owned hotel corporations in America.