Alphonse (aka Fonze) grew up in northeast Pennsylvania then moved to Providence, RI where he completed a bachelor's degree in Culinary Nutrition with a focus in R&D. While in school, he worked at a farm to table American bistro as well as a variety of other culinary establishments (yacht clubs, hotels, stadiums, catering, etc.). He moved to Chicago to intern at a marketing culinary agency. During the pandemic, he shifted toward personal culinary consulting while also opening two restaurants in Chicago as Executive Chef. He also traveled to Amman Jordan to aid a restaurant chain in redeveloping their menu specials and working toward opening ghost kitchens. He now works as a Chef Instructor at The Chopping Block and as a R&D chef for large corporations. In his free time, he is usually reading up on new cooking techniques, cooking meals with friends, exploring alternative fields of science, enjoying the outdoors, or binging a TV show.