Where did your career in food begin?
I grew up in a restaurant at my family's diner in Albany, so for me, this life was always natural.

How would you describe your cuisine?
Most of my dishes tend to be western Mediterranean in flavor, and I like to keep everything formal but approachable.

How did you first become involved with Wolfgang Puck's restaurants?
After college I packed up, drove cross-country and started banging on the door at Spago in Beverly Hills. It took a year of persistence, but I finally got hired.

What are some of the most popular dishes on your menu?
The slow-braised Kurobuta pork shank. People are just freaking out over it. It's a big portion of pork cooked in pomegranate and burgundy wines. What's better than a big pork shank sitting on a plate? For dessert, try the 15-layer carrot cake with ginger ice cream.

What inspires your menu?
Living in the bay area, I became really inspired by the abundance of local and seasonal produce. I love being able to hand pick the ingredients I will be using in that night's dishes.

Do you have any favorite dishes you like to make?
I've always loved making pastas and risottos, but I also really enjoy making my own sausages and curing my own meats.

What is it like working for Wolfgang Puck, who now has a restaurant empire?
He's been incredibly motivating for me, an inspiration. It's so apparent that he was put on this earth to do exactly what he does. And he never stops.

What were your favorite foods growing up?
My family food. Armenian recipes like "Monti", "Choreg", "Dolma" and many more.

On the Italian side, my Grandmother's sauce that had braised beef and sausage in it. We also have some holiday favorites like prosciutto pie and sweet ricotta pie for Easter. We also make a dry sopresatta that is amazing.

When did you decide you wanted to be a chef?
I grew up in a restaurant. My father owned a night club in the late 60's. I have pictures of me and my brothers playing with the band instruments when we were little kids. He later opened a restaurant where I worked pretty much every area front and back. I always felt more comfortable in the kitchen. I think I was around 22 or 23 when I decided I wanted to see how far I could go with the cooking, but becoming a Chef was really not on my mind. I was more interested in running the whole business.

If you didn't become a chef, what would you be?
I would love to be able to play my guitar for a living so probably the music field. If not that, I enjoy the teaching part of my job, so I would like that as well. Hey...maybe a music teacher.

Who/what has shaped your cooking the most over the years?
I have been very fortunate to have been able to work with some really incredible chefs while being in the Wolfgang Puck family, so first the obvious choice is Wolfgang Puck. Chef Lee Hefter is Wolfgang's right hand and has taught me more in the last 6-7 years than in my whole career. I'm like a sponge. I try to soak everything up as much as possible and learn from it. In my mind if you think you know everything, you're done learning and done growing.

What influences your cooking style and particularly the menu at your restaurant?
Seasonality is something that is constantly in my mind. It is the core to our philosophy of cooking here at WPAG. Spring is my favorite!!

What are your favorite culinary weapons in the kitchen?
My weapons are my cooks. I try to shape them and teach them the best I can to have passion and pride love what they are doing. Utensils are just objects.

What is your favorite secret ingredient?
Anything seasonal so that changes often. I sometimes have a hard time not adding pork or pork-related things (bacon, prosciutto) to dishes. I have the same problem with spicy chilis but only when I eat the dish myself.

What is the one rule or value you try to instill in all of your staff?
There are many but first and foremost you have to have pride and care about what you are doing. This is the wrong business to be in if you are just looking to punch in and out and go home. You can survive that way but you won't thrive.

What qualities to you look for when hiring cooks for your restaurant?
Passion. Team players. Desire to learn. Work ethic. ATTITUDE, ATTITUDE, ATTITUDE!!! These things, in my mind, are hard to teach if they are not already part of a person's personality. Cooking skills can be taught.

If I'm trying to watch my weight and I'm eating at your restaurant, what am I ordering to eat?
This is an area that many people don't realize is very easy to accommodate. We have many types of proteins on the menu that can easily be altered to be less caloric or fatty. We always have fresh fish, poultry and high grade meats that can be served with less butter, no butter, no oil, etc...I have no problem altering dishes to a certain extent. We also have lots of delicious salads on the menu.

What was the most challenging meal you had to make? Why?
No one meal is ever really difficult. It's 700-800 meals in the course of a 5 hour period with everybody ordering different things and everybody wanting their food fast. It is very challenging but it's something I enjoy because it's so challenging.

What was your worst restaurant disaster?
A few years ago we opened our restaurant (in Palo Alto, CA) an extra day that we are usually closed. Even though they were properly notified, the valet crew decided not to show up. Needless to say myself and the General Manager ended up having to run outside and park cars for the guests while running the restaurant on a very busy night. We actually had fun with it and the guests were pleasantly amused but it was difficult to say the least.

What is your least favorite food?
I can't pinpoint any one type of food so I will say that blandness witch, in my opinion is mostly caused from under seasoning, is the worst. Processed food is not a favorite either. Fresh is always the way to go for me.

What is your beverage of choice?
I drink a lot of iced tea all day long. I'm trying to stay away from soda. I don't drink a lot of alcohol these days but I love wines from the Rhone Valley, red wines Argentina and Austrian Rieslings. I'm not a big beer drinker but a really good Belgian beer tastes so good. The first gulp is like heaven.

What are some recent dining and culinary trends you have been observing?
It seems like comfort food and café/bistro style foods are popular now especially in this economy.

When you are not eating at your own restaurant, where are you eating?
My wife and I love good ethnic food. We spent many years living in California and were able to enjoy great family run ethnic restaurants. Our favorites are Indian, Korean and of course Mexican.

What was the most spectacular meal you have ever had?
The most memorable meals I have had have been when my family gets together and cooks. My wife is 100% Italian and her mother is a great cook so it doesn't matter who we visit on the holidays. I can't go wrong.

What is your best cooking tip for a home enthusiast?
It starts with good ingredients. That's half the battle. Take on a little at a time because once you have the basics to cooking down and start to understand the properties of certain foods, you can accomplish a lot.

What was the most memorable meal you ever cooked?
I will always remember cooking with Chef Puck at a private dinner in the home of Vernon Jordan, adviser to President Bill Clinton, in Washington, DC for 12 guests, where diners included Anthony Hopkins and Catherine Zeta Jones. Another highlight meal was cooking for the stars alongside Puck at the high-profile Oscar parties in Los Angeles.

How would you describe "California Cuisine?"
I think it's about trying to capture a carefree and casual lifestyle with easy foods like pizza, pasta and lots of grilling. East Coast diners and Borgata guests are able to experience Puck's cuisine in a setting that is at once casual and upscale.