What were your favorite foods growing up?
Stuffed baby eggplants, fresh tomato and basil pasta

When did you decide you wanted to be a chef?
Growing up in a restaurant family I always knew this is what I wanted to do. At 18 my brothers and I opened a bar in Hamden, Connecticut and I ran the kitchen.

Where and when did your career in food begin?
As a kid, I helped my parents in the kitchen and garden but professionally I would say at the CIA.

If you didn't become a chef, what would you be?
A dentist

Who/what has shaped your cooking the most over the years?
My mother and father. As a boy, they cooked a home cooked meal every night. Having two parents who grew up on farms in southern Italy using fresh simple ingredients was what I learned early on.

How would you describe your cuisine?
At Delicatessen, my cuisine is international comfort food but most of my career before Deli was modern French Italian.

What influences your cooking style and particularly the menu at your restaurant?
Foods that are inspired by peoples comfort food memories.

What are your favorite culinary weapons in the kitchen?
Fish spatula, Japanese mandoline, Japanese petty knife, and my saucing spoons.

What is your favorite secret ingredient?
Shichimi Togarashi spice

What is the one rule or value you try to instill in all of your staff?
Respect the food and each other

What qualities do you look for when hiring cooks for your restaurant?
Good work ethic, speed, skill, passion

If I'm trying to watch my weight and I'm eating at your restaurant, what should I order to eat?
Tuna tataki, tuna tartare, chicken paillard, grilled peach and tomato salad

What was the most challenging meal you had to make? Why?
My first executive sous chef tasting at the Biltmore Room, it was a 3 star restaurant and I was only 23… I was pretty nervous.

What was your worst restaurant disaster?
At the Biltmore Room, on a Saturday afternoon with 300 on the books and no food showed up! The order was never placed!

What is your least favorite food?
Pork liver

What is your beverage of choice?
Makers Mark on the rocks

What are some recent dining and culinary trends you have been observing?
The comfort food movement

When you are not eating at your own restaurant, where are you eating?
I try a new restaurant twice a month, but after work I like the pulpo tacos and a pacifico at La Esquina

Which foreign country inspires your style most?
Italy, France, Spain

What was the most spectacular meal you have ever had?
This is a tough one, a tasting and wine pairing at The Ryland Inn

What is your best cooking tip for a home enthusiast?
Keep it simple, work on cooking techniques before you start to complicate the dishes

What do you eat when you are home?
These days I'm trying to eat lighter so it's a little boring, I like to grill to take advantage of what's left of the summer. Fresh vegetables, grilled fish or steaks.