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After I graduated from the Institute of Culinary Education, I worked at a few jobs in various kitchens and front of house positions until I trailed at Chef Tom Colicchio’s restaurant, Craftsteak. I knew this kitchen would change me into the person I wanted to be. So when I wasn’t given a line cook position on the spot, I offered to work in the prep kitchen. The next day, I was hired to work at the raw bar. At first, I was scared that I wouldn’t be able to shuck oysters as fast as they expected. I panicked every time the ticket machine printed out an order for a Grande Tasting, but it taught me that patience and confidence go a long way. My station was responsible for oysters, clams, lobster salad, grilled calamari salad, sashimi-style hamachi and tuna, shrimp cocktail, and crab claws. The raw bar was front of house, so each day I would prepare and display my shellfish in crushed ice. It was fun and exciting.
My passion for cooking began when I simply roasted a whole chicken. I chopped a bunch of root vegetables and fingerling potatoes and placed them in the bottom of the roasting pan to cook in the drippings. It was then I realized that quality ingredients and proper cooking techniques are basic necessities when creating a delicious meal.
My signature dish is pan-roasted quail with oyster mushrooms and goat cheese polenta. The dish is a collaboration of different ingredients I’ve used in kitchens throughout my career as a line cook.
My proudest moment as a chef was volunteering at God’s Love We Deliver, an organization that delivers healthy meals to people living with HIV/AIDS, cancer and other serious illnesses. This gave me the opportunity to use my culinary skills to help those in need and do my part to make a difference. Walking into the God’s Love kitchen is an experience like no other. Everyone there shares a genuine concern for fellow New Yorkers. There is no greater triumph then using your ability to change some one’s life, even in a small way.
After reading “Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly” I knew I wanted to be a chef. Anthony Bourdain has inspired me because he focuses on the life of a line cook. The excitement and thrill of working in a kitchen and being part of that family. He focuses on the blood, sweat and tears that go into living the dream every day.
