CLASSES
Chef at The Chopping Block since: 2012
Favorite class to teach: Date Nights
Training/education: Pennsylvania Culinary Institute
Cooking since: Does cooking with my mom count?
Favorite childhood food experience: Making my first meatloaf with my mom.
What made you want to become a chef? I wasn't allowed to play with my food when I was growing up, and now I get paid to do it!
What is your signature dish? I make so many different things that I really can't say I have one signature dish, but I do make a lot of cookies with my niece!
What are the 5 ingredients you can't live without? Sriracha, butter, cheese (all of them), vegetables, garlic.
What do you love about cooking? Getting to play with my food!
When you're creating a new recipe, what influences and inspires you? It all depends on where and what I'm doing, I take my inspiration from everywhere.
What advice would you give a new cook? Make as many mistakes as you can now and experiment with everything that you can!
What are you doing when you're not cooking? Reading, knitting, taking the dog on adventures, cooking with friends.
Describe your perfect evening. Someone else cooking for me.
If you had friends in from out of town, where would you take them to eat? Avec, Frontera Grill, Dragon Ranch, Slurping Turtle
Where are you from? Cleveland, Ohio
What was your favorite vacation? Visiting an old roommate in London and friends in Paris.
What are your hobbies? Knitting, running and reading.
What is your favorite band? It changes all the time, but right now I'm really into Pink's new album.
What is your favorite sports team? My heart always roots for the Browns, winning or losing.
If you could have dinner with one person, who would it be? Pierre Hermé
What are your guilty pleasures? Playing drunk Scrabble with friends.
Who is your favorite celebrity chef? Julia Child
What 5 tools should every new cook have in the kitchen?
- Very sharp knife
- Sharp serrated knife
- Microplane grater
- Quality non-stick frying pan
- Solid wood cutting board
What resources would you suggest for Chopping Block students? Our staff is so expansive with everyone having such varied backgrounds that I would say question the chefs as much as you can with whatever questions that you can think of.
List your favorite tip or technique you use in the kitchen. I've spent the last 10 years working as a pastry chef so my absolute favorite technique is rolling laminated doughs by hand!
My knife kit is jammed with tools and knives, but there are two things that I reach for more than the others.
