What were your favorite foods growing up?
Mom's grilled cheese & tomato soup, lasagna, pasta

When did you decide you wanted to be a chef?
After graduating high school and going to flight school while working in restaurants all the time. I realized I liked the restaurant biz.

Where and when did your career in food begin?
I worked in kitchens all my life; my dad owned a restaurant so that was decided early on.

If you hadn't become a chef, what would you be?
I think an architect

Who/what has shaped your cooking the most over the
years?
My father and uncle, both in the biz

How would you describe your cuisine?
Modern American with Classic Steakhouse Fare

What influences your cooking style and particularly the
menu at your restaurant?
Season, availability, trends

What are your favorite culinary weapons in the kitchen?
My go-to is the Vita Prep Blender, great for making smooth
purees and aioli.

What is your favorite secret ingredient?
Infused oils, great for flavoring items and injecting fish for moisture.

What is the one rule or value you try to instill in all of your staff?
Consistency breeds Creditability!

What qualities to you look for when hiring cooks for your
restaurant?
Attitude is everything, you can teach the rest but you cannot teach someone to have a great attitude, it has to come naturally.

If I'm trying to watch my weight and I'm eating at your
restaurant, what should I order to eat?
Any one of our steaks work well and we do seafood and execute seafood as well as our steaks.

What was the most challenging meal you had to make? Why?
Cooking at the James Beard House. I had a sold out crowd, myself and chefs along with me were traveling from afar. Little time and space to get the dinner prepped, transported and executed.

What was your worst restaurant disaster?
Having a Mass Transit Strike in NYC and having to cover for the staff that couldn't get to work. Working all the stations. We rocked it out though.

What is your least favorite food?
Indian, too many flavors masking the true flavors or the main ingredients.

What is your beverage of choice?
Iced Coffee, Frappe! Being Greek it is the "Iced Tea" for us.

What are some recent dining and culinary trends you
have been observing?
Small plates, bar noshing, and focus on value offerings utilizing less popular cuts.

When you are not eating at your own restaurant, where
are you eating?
I eat at home, if not at a fellow chef's place.