CLASSES
Favorite class to teach: Old School Italian
Training/education: B.S. Culinary Nutrition, trained in Classical French, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, Greek, Indian, Southern American and Mexican cuisines
Cooking since: 2008
Favorite childhood food experience: Family meals at my grandfather's house when the day was spent cooking and yelling and the night was for stories and laughing.
What made you want to become a chef? Seeing the way food heals people and can cross all cultural borders, its something that to this day, blows my mind seeing it daily.
What is your signature dish? Sofrito chicken thighs, red rice and charred broccolini
What are the 5 ingredients you can't live without? Oil, onions, garlic, lemons, tomatoes
What do you love about cooking? The way you put yourself into making something from nothing and the joy it brings to everyone who eats it.
When you're creating a new recipe, what influences and inspires you? The time of year and the people who will get to try it first.
What advice would you give a new cook? Never say “good enough.”
What are you doing when you're not cooking? Exploring somewhere new and getting outside as much as possible.
Describe your perfect evening. Cooking a one pot meal so clean up is easy and having friends over for a drinks and game night.
If you had friends in from out of town, where would you take them to eat? Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder
Where are you from? Newport, Maine
What was your favorite vacation? Lima, Peru
What are your hobbies? Gardening, exercising and watching football
What is your favorite band? Lake Street Dive
What is your favorite sports team? New England Patriots
If you could have dinner with one person, who would it be? Alain Ducasse
What are your guilty pleasures? Nutella and Biscoff on a spoon
Who is your favorite celebrity chef? Dominique Crenn
What 5 tools should every new cook have in the kitchen?
- A good 8-inch Chef's knife that you care for like a child
- Medium-sized cast iron pan
- Microplane grater
- Bench scraper
- Tempered rubber spatula
What resources would you suggest for Chopping Block clients? "The Food Lovers Companion”
List three of your favorite tips or techniques you use in the kitchen.
- Searing: It is done poorly too often and when you really sear something properly, it will blow your dish out of the water.
- Roasting: classic roasting is something that will create the most natural and deep flavors of your ingredients. No seasoning can compare if you do this right.
- Acid: stop always throwing more salt on food when it's not right. Acid when used right will enhance a dish in amazing ways.
