1. What were your favorite foods growing up?
Being a southern boy, I loved some my family's typical fare- cornbread, grandma's gumbo and fried chicken and anything from the garden.

2. When did you decide you wanted to be a chef?
I tended bar while I was in college, I loved the pace and fun environment. It was like being paid to be in a bar all day and that was right up my alley. It wasn't long and I got into the kitchen helping the guys out and before you know it you are consumed with ideas and once I met a chef that was hired from the CIA to re-vamp the menus and hearing his stories of traveling I realized my new adventure was around the corner.

3. Where and when did your career in food begin?
I opted to avoid culinary school at all cost, because of the cost. My Dad actually found an article in the newspaper about apprenticeships over culinary school and how The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, Co was the place to be. I literally packed all my stuff and drove out to Colorado to dedicate my life to working in a kitchen, and up until this point I had technically never held a position in the kitchen. Looking back on it I think I was pretty lucky to not make a huge mistake.

4. If you didn't become a chef, what would you be?
Ever since I was young all I wanted to do was work with children, started out with being a teacher and developed into a psychologist. In the end the deciding factor against it all was my lack of patience and that is pretty important with anything involving children and psychology.

5. Who/what has shaped your cooking the most over the years?
I think that in the back of my mind a lot of the shaping came from my family, other than that it has to be the people I have worked with over the years.

6. What influences your cooking style and particularly the menu at your restaurant?
The local produce and my southern roots. I had a passion for Creole cooking in the beginning and it led me to French technique that I try to incorporate into everything I do.

7. What are your favorite culinary weapons in the kitchen?
Really good blenders and a chinois.

8. What is your favorite secret ingredient?
Molasses and vinegars...all kinds of vinegars.

9. What is the one rule or value you try to instill in all of your staff?
HAVE FUN!!!!

10. What qualities to you look for when hiring cooks for your restaurant?
Confidence (not cocky), clean, organized and smiles.

11. What was your worst restaurant disaster?
At the Broadmoor we often had banquets in the thousands and for high profile companies. Being a large property, we had production from several kitchens and were all transported my trucks that strapped in the speed racks and drove them to the banquet facility of choice. On this given day we were running around like crazy and I decided to pack the speed racks in and left one unwrapped to allow some Duchess potatoes, 1400 to be exact, to cool and as the truck took off we could see sheet pans sliding out and the potatoes "rain" into the streets.

12. What is your beverage of choice?
Sweet tea and Maker's Mark, no particular order.

13. When you are not eating at your own restaurant, where are you eating?
Bar Hayama and any eatery on Sawtelle. Westside Tavern, Chef Warren Schwartz rocks and I have been known to hit up super taco every now and again.

14. What was the most spectacular meal you have ever had?
At a little Restaurant in Acapulco on the beach, not sure if it even had a name. It was on our honeymoon and it was not in the best location or was it even fancy-it was the opposite of fancy but it was the perfect time of day with my wife and nothing could have been better.

15. What do you eat when you are home?
Anything that I can make on my grill. BBQ chicken, ribs, burgers and chips and salsa...lots of fresh salsa.