The Dream...

I taught myself to cook at age 6. I was this little kid who was making Thanksgiving Dinner for my family, yes my mom was helping. I was making food for the family though, and baking and all sorts of thing.

My love of food started young.

I learned how to play with tastes, textures, combinations... experimenting...

When you have an Italian background, you are born with a love of food, what you do with it, is up to you.

So I went through life, and did this and that... you could almost call me a Jack of all Trades... almost... but I can hold my own and what I don't know I'm always willing to learn.

But cooking has always been my passion ... my drive... something I could always relax myself doing and passion myself with learning more and getting better....

So when I got married and the economy went to crap in a handbag, I felt the need for a change. My wife encouraged me to follow a dream I was hesitant to do. See I have had an allergy to shell fish for a long time.

My motto is:

If I can't taste it, it doesn't get served.

Well one of my mottos anyway. So seeing as I had the allergy, it became a dilemma in my head. But she asked me if it was something I would want to do, would I enjoy it, and would I want to make a life out of it. The answer to all three was yes, I have always wanted to open a restaurant.

So I moved forward, the week before I was "let go" of my job, I was already talking to a culinary school and when I got "laid off" I decided it was a sign to go after it. So I started school the week after Valentine's Day, my orientation was on Valentine's Day (much to my wife's dismay, but we had fun - took the kids to the Mall of America and had a great day!) ..

So I'm half way through school right now (not counting my externship) ... and I hope to take you along my journey from becoming a Pampered Chef (get it? ha ha) ... to a Culinary Professional.

Feel free to ask me questions, share recipes for me to try out, or ask me to share one of mine!