What were your favorite foods growing up?
Dungeness Crab (I'm from the pacific northwest), fresh rolls with butter, and German chocolate cake.

When did you decide you wanted to be a chef?
I was 16 and working in a small neighborhood restaurant in Seattle, Washington.

Where and when did your career in food begin?
14 years old at the Santa Fe Café in Seattle, Washington

If you didn't become a chef, what would you be?
An architect, like my father.

Who/what has shaped your cooking the most over the years?
Traveling and many friends.

How would you describe your cuisine?
Mediterranean with a strong focus on the Eastern Med.

What are your favorite culinary weapons in the kitchen?
Blender, tongs, and special flat spoons.

What is your favorite secret ingredient?
Brown butter

What is the one rule or value you try to instill in all of your staff?
Show up, be present, pay attention to the process and don't get attached to the result. Cook with your heart, plate with your head.

What qualities do you look for when hiring cooks for your restaurant?
Team player, passion, taste, style, good work ethic and stamina.

If I'm trying to watch my weight and I'm eating at your restaurant, what am I ordering to eat?
The 5 course vegetarian tasting menu or any of the fish dishes which are always light.

What was the most challenging meal you had to make? Why?
Dinner for 75 in Rome. I had the lamb course. My flight was delayed and I was totally jet-lagged. The kitchen was totally macho and I didn't have the energy to fight back.

What was your worst restaurant disaster?
Being a guest chef at another restaurant whose staff had very little experience. The event was also understaffed, the host was drinking loads of wine and not helping. Guests had to go to the store to buy wine because the young servers couldn't tend to them. From this day on, I bring my own staff when we take things on the road.

What is your least favorite food?
Anything highly processed and caraway.

What is your beverage of choice?
I love it all as long as it's real.

What are some recent dining and culinary trends you have been observing?
Pork belly, pork belly, way too much pork belly.

When you are not eating at your own restaurant, where are you eating?
Oishi 2 Sushi in Sudbury, Ma. Toro in boston, B&G or Sportello in Boston

Which foreign country inspires your style most?
Turkey and Lebanon

What was the most spectacular meal you have ever had?
Ciya in Istanbul. Amazing.

What is your best cooking tip for a home enthusiast?
Patience.

What do you eat when you are home?
A good chicken soup is my favorite.