What were your favorite foods growing up?
Ice cream because my parents owned a few Baskin-Robbins store and Florida Stone Crabs because my older brother was a commercial fisherman.

When did you decide you wanted to be a chef?
Being involved with the franchise side of food with my parents, I fell in love with food service and customer service. But, that wasn't enough for me. My
father took us for lunch at Le Maisonette Restaurant in Cincinnati, Ohio where I experienced 5 star food and service — pretty much from there I was hooked.

Where and when did your career in food begin?
I started with my parents at Baskin-Robbins in Dayton ,Ohio, but really started working at a local seafood restaurant with the Muer Corporation at one of their restaurants, Charlies Crab. A great training ground to working at restaurants and preparing quality foods.

If you didn't become a chef, what would you be?
An architect

Who or what has shaped your cooking the most over the years?
Attending The Culinary Institute of America was very influential. Also, Albert Roux helped shape my cooking by letting me be a part of an unbelievable restaurant, Le Gavroche in London, England and so did the great chef, Robbin Haas who has been a mentor for almost two decades.

How would you describe your cuisine?
Great food based on traditional cooking methods with bold flavors

What are your favorite culinary weapons in the kitchen?
The Team, communication and commitment to our menu. Then freshness of product, well-seasoned and properly prepared cooked foods.

What is your favorite secret ingredient?
Salt. Good salt!

What is the one rule or value you try to instill in all of your staff?
We need to show up today to do the very best we can. Our food is not a picture, it's something we do each and every ticket.

What was your worst restaurant disaster?
Mother's Day at a club in Boca when we did a menu for 200 and 500 people showed up. Ouch!

What is your beverage of choice?
Kettle One vodka is perfect after a long day.

When you are not eating at your own restaurant, where are you
eating?
At home, with my lovely wife

Which foreign country inspires your style most?
France for its simplicity and quality of products

What was the most spectacular meal you have ever had?
A dinner at Le Manoir Quat Saison in Oxford, England, a Raymond Blanc restaurant

What is your best cooking tip for a home enthusiast?
Take your time to plan out your meal or dinner so that the actual occasion is enjoyed by your guest as well as by you.