What were your favorite foods growing up?
My favorite was homemade pasta from my mother.

When did you decide you wanted to be a chef?
When I was 17 years old. My uncle had a restaurant on Lexington and 59th street so I practically grew up there. I always liked cooking. I actually got my associates degree in management, but realized that I liked cooking more. That was when I decided to go to culinary school.

Where and when did your career in food begin?
It began here in New York City when I enrolled in the New York Restaurant School.

If you didn't become a chef, what would you be?
A Marine Biologist. I love scuba diving and every time I go on vacation I go scuba diving. I just love the water.

Who/what has shaped your cooking the most over the years?
My friend and mentor, Paolo Dorigato.

How would you describe your cuisine?
Home cooking, comfort food.

What influences your cooking style and particularly the menu at your restaurant?
Rustic country home cooking.

What are your favorite culinary weapons in the kitchen?
A knife and a sauté pan.

What is your favorite secret ingredient?
Garlic-I can put it everywhere, but in moderation. You can do so much with it-keep it raw, roast it, make creams. I love the smell and the taste.

What is the one rule or value you try to instill in all of your staff?
Quality and consistency

What qualities do you look for when hiring cooks for your restaurant?
Punctuality. On any job you're on somebody else's time. I like to be punctual myself. Being late is like starting off on the wrong foot. You don't need experience; that you can learn. You just have to be on time.

If I'm trying to watch my weight and I'm eating at your restaurant, what am I ordering to eat?
Salad. I like raw vegetables: carrots, celery, and cucumber with no real condiments on them either.

What was the most challenging meal you had to make? Why?
A meal for my family. I learned from them that it's very challenging for me to impress them with my skills.

What was your worst restaurant disaster?
One year we had 500 reservations on Mother's Day and one hour before we opened, the Ansul (fire suppression) system went off releasing all the chemicals onto the food. We had one hour to re-prep the entire menu!

What is your least favorite food?
Red meat. I don't eat a lot of it and I don't crave it. I'd rather have fish and clams instead.

What is your beverage of choice?
Cognac

What are some recent dining and culinary trends you have been observing?
Fusion. There are lots of different backgrounds mixing French and Asian styles. So many people work in different restaurants now and the turnover rate is so great that people bring their different skills and backgrounds to new restaurants and apply them.

When you are not eating at your own restaurant, where are you eating?
I'm usually eating Thai food. I like Sea in Brooklyn; the price is very reasonable. I always get the clay pot with prawns and thin noodles with ginger and vegetables.

Which foreign country inspires your style most?
The South East Asian region. I like the Asian presentation. I love working with lots of fish, nothing too complicated: just oil, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and lots of different sauces with flavor. Not for Gnocco though, but I'd like to influence another restaurant with Asian styles.

What was the most spectacular meal you have ever had?
It was a meal in Cinque Terre Monteroso in Italy. I had a mixed seafood antipasto, and it was filled with many different types of fish, like grilled sardines, octopus and fresh oysters: cooked perfect and tender.

What is your best cooking tip for a home enthusiast?
Keep it simple, and keep it fresh.

What do you eat when you are home?
Sushi