Q. What is your culinary training background and how did that lead you to the Lake Geneva area?
I graduated from the International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Las Vegas and worked with high-end Chefs around Las Vegas. I became a private chef for an NBA Athlete and his family. I moved back to Washington, D.C., then Aspen, Milwaukee, Montana & Hawaii working my way to Executive Chef. Through my travels, I honed my skills and found my voice and way to my current position at The Abbey.
Q. Who has been your biggest culinary inspiration and why?
My chef mentors in Las Vegas truly shaped the young chef I became. They gave me opportunities that I would have never had anywhere else. Their work ethic, mental stamina, talent, and ruthlessness set a standard. I was told, "Sink or Swim" and to this day, I live by it. Through my progression in the industry, I am forever grateful to have ground my teeth in those accoladed places.
Q. What is your restaurant best known for?
240 West, our fine-dining restaurant is best known for our weekend Prime Rib and Steak & Lobster Specials and Harborside Sunday Brunch. Waterfront, our casual dining outlet, is best known for having great family-friendly options, patio seating, and entertainment on the lake.
Q. What is your favorite dish to cook and why?
It varies with my mood, who is around me, and what I have available. If I had to choose, I would say small shareables, nothing too heavy. This allows me to showcase different techniques, flavors, and plating styles that keep me passionate.
Q. What is your process when developing a new dish?
Executive Chef, Noah Gumustekin and I will think of an ingredient or a dish from memory. The next thing we know, we have 3 sheets of paper with drawings, ingredients, research & notes in front of us. We get pleasantly lost in the development. Trying, re-trying, and adjusting until we are happy with what we have.
Q. Do you have any tips or tricks for those looking to elevate their dishes at home?
Cook with all your senses: listen for the pop and sizzle, smell for burning, see the hard sear, taste for seasoning, feel for doneness. Adapt. If you don't have certain equipment or an ingredient, figure out a way to make it work. Lastly, no one has the same palate, don't lose any sleep on what one person may perceive as unappetizing: after all, every day ends.