What were your favorite foods growing up?
Growing up, Italian food was definitely my favorite food. My mother's family came from Italy and my maternal grandmother would make fresh pasta and sauce for Sunday dinners. Then there were also delicious versions of braised osso buco, veal scaloppini and the Italian pastries that we would get from the bakery. All good stuff.

When did you decide you wanted to be a chef?
I would have to say I was about 19 years old and I had just withdrawn from classes at college for architecture. Cooking was something I always enjoyed doing at home and I needed to get a job. Little did I know at the time this is what I wanted to do professionally. But, once I got into the kitchens and started working the line and learning how to fabricate, I only wanted to be better and learn more. I really just wanted to play with some food.

Where and when did your career in food begin?
It must have been 1991 -92 and I was slinging pizza at Sbarro's in Times Square, N.Y. But, it was my next job at a seafood restaurant in Woodhaven Queens called London Lennie's where I was really brought in from the ground up. Working in the dish pit, the prep kitchen, working to prove my worth so I could get onto the garde manger station and then sauté.

Who/what has shaped your cooking the most over the years?
It is hard to say what has shaped my cooking the most. There have been many influences that have affected me over the years. Early in my career, it would have to be the various concepts of the restaurants I worked for that helped broaden my palate. In the last eight years, working for restaurants like Asia de Cuba really took my enjoyment for Asian cooking to another level with strong influences of Latin cooking. I think now that time spent there has helped shape what I am doing these days.

How would you describe your cuisine?
The cuisine that best describes me? Well, there is a lot that I like and I don't like to be tied to one style. Upscale fine dining with Asian, Mediterranean, Latin and new American accents. I am also a big fan of down-home comfort food.

What are your favorite culinary weapons in the kitchen?
I love my arsenal of Shun Knives, 10-inch slicer, 8-inch Kramer chefs knife --they are all great to use.

What is the one rule or value you try to instill in all of your staff?
One rule I have always tried to instill is: You can always add more, but you can't take away when it comes to recipe creation and picking up new dishes. Taste what you are making to insure consistency. Also, I have said to all the staff that has worked for me -- you can be the pot of gold of your own fortune or the hand of your own demise in the kitchen. If you want to succeed, you have to want it and live it. The opportunity is there -- you have the job -- it's what you do with it that is up to you.

What qualities to you look for when hiring cooks for your restaurant?
I look to see what experience they have and how long they have stayed at the restaurants where they've worked before. I ask questions to see if they "story tell" me answers. The person's character and passion is foremost and of course, experience is a major plus. But, it also depends on the position I'm hiring for -- salary versus hourly comes along with a different set of questions and tasting of their food preparations.

What was your worst restaurant disaster?
My worst restaurant disaster would have to one that happened a few years ago on Valentine's night when I created an overly ambitious menu for close to 350 people. This amounted to a ridiculous number of transactions to expedite. Let's just say it was my most challenging moment in a professional kitchen and a great lesson for future big nights.

What is your best cooking tip for a home enthusiast?
HAVE FUN!!!!!!!!! Go into your fridge or pantry and try a little bit of this and a little bit of that. When reading cookbooks, use the recipes as a guideline for your own creations. And the golden rule of seasoning -- you can always add more, but you can't take away. Put on some good music, pour yourself a glass of wine or a cocktail and have fun…create your own good times.