What were your favorite foods growing up?
Peanut Butter and Jelly (still is!). Pizza and any Asian food.

When did you realize you wanted to be a chef?
When I realized that all of my early jobs had something to do with food. I actually loved to work as a teenager.

Where and when did your career in food begin?
When I was 15, the day after I got my working papers my mother drove a friend and myself to get a job at a pizzeria. I was the only one who kept the job.

Who/what has shaped your cooking most over the years?
Traveling around the world mainly, especially in Italy and Thailand. It showed me different ways to look at food and life.

How would you describe your cuisine?
American cuisine with a heavy Italian accent. I love to layer flavors, yet keep things simple and direct.

What influences your cooking style and particularly the menu at your restaurant?
The use of fresh, local items that are in peak season. My mood and adding my Italian influences makes up my restaurants menu.

What are your favorite culinary weapons in the kitchen?
I love my pasta machine. I probably could have bought a small car for what it cost, but it was worth every penny.

What is your favorite secret ingredient?
We have a spice we made called Lamb Spice, which is a mixture of peppers, fennel, coriander, thyme and salt.

What is the one rule or value you try to instill in all of your staff?
Team work: I strongly believe we are one team -- the entire restaurant. There is no a.m. or p.m. team and definitely no front of the house and back of the house team.

If I'm trying to watch my weight and I'm eating at your restaurant, what am I ordering?
We are pretty flexible about dietary restrictions; however I don't believe in drowning everything in butter or cream, so I cook as I would cook for myself.

What was your worst restaurant disaster?
On the seventh day of service at Olana the grill was so hot that it made an unseen piece of wood in the wall (that should have not been there) catch on fire. We had to evacuate the restaurant and the fire department destroyed the kitchen and bathrooms trying to find where the smoke was coming from. The good news was that we opened again in three days.

What are some recent dining and culinary trends you have been observing?
Diners are being more frugal with their money and eating safer. We are trying to accommode them at Olana. I have put some comfort food on the menu like meatballs and chicken as well as some fun items like smoked octopus.

What is your best cooking tip for a home enthusiast?
Use salt and pepper. It makes good food great.

What do eat when you are at home?
Comfort food. My wife make a mean London Broil and it took me two months to get the recipe out of her, and, no, I'm not telling.