CLASSES
Chef at The Chopping Block since: 2019
Favorite class to teach: So far, I’ve enjoyed them all!
Training/education: Columbia College Chicago/Le Cordon Bleu
Cooking since: In restaurants since 2010, for myself since I could stand at a stove.
Favorite childhood food experience: Obviously cooking with my family, but Lonzerotti’s in my hometown made me fall in love with restaurants.
What made you want to become a chef? I didn’t have enough stress and disappointment in my life.
What is your signature dish? Smoked porchetta tonnato
What are the 5 ingredients you can't live without?Salt, good olive oil, flour, tomatoes, pork
What do you love about cooking? By its very nature cooking inspires a need to share
When you're creating a new recipe, what influences and inspires you? The seasons, what I have available
What advice would you give a new cook? Taste everything
What are you doing when you're not cooking?Swimming, biking, hiking
Describe your perfect evening.Hanging out with my partner and my dog outside somewhere
If you had friends in from out of town, where would you take them to eat? If not my house... Boka
Where are you from? Jacksonville, IL
What was your favorite vacation? My trip to Maui last year changed my life.
What are your hobbies? Swimming, biking, hiking
What is your favorite band? I can’t give you one, but 1a-1e would be: Pearl Jam, The Allman Brothers, Jason Isbell, Lynyrd Skynrd, Against Me.
What is your favorite sports team? The Cubs, but the Cardinals will always hold a place in my heart.
If you could have dinner with one person, who would it be? Dave Grohl
What are your guilty pleasures? I LOVE teen comedies and dramas.
Who is your favorite celebrity chef? Sean Brock
What 5 tools should every new cook have in the kitchen? A cast iron pan, a good knife, a heavy bottomed pot, kosher salt, finishing oil
What resources would you suggest for Chopping Block clients? Ask us questions! You have a living, breathing culinary encyclopedia at your disposal.
List three of your favorite tips or techniques you use in the kitchen. Salt early and often, if it grows together it goes together, let your ingredients be your guide.
