WELCOME
Hello everyone and welcome to this space!
If you’re here for the first time, this is a good place to learn a little bit about me, my family, and what I am passionate about and share here. I am a Private Chef and Real Estate agent based in Sag Harbor, New York. I met my wife, Lynette, in 2017 and we were married August 2019. I have four great kids from a previous marriage. My youngest son lives with us in Sag Harbor.
I love great food. I am a French trained chef. I’ve been working as a Chef for over 25 years. Food was a natural fit for me. The son of parents who immigrated from Tokyo to New York, I grew up as a first generation American in Westchester NY. Food was a big part of our family life. With her friend, my mom owned a catering company called Sansara Gourmet that specialized in Japanese cuisine. My mom was an excellent cook and so no matter how much trouble I was getting myself into as a teenager, I always grounded by making it home in time for my mom's great meals. Even though I really enjoyed good food and participating in cooking growing up, I didn’t see myself becoming a chef until I graduated high school. As a kid, I really loved books. My favorite were comic books . One of my favorite characters was Spider Man. One Christmas I asked for a chemistry set to get one step closer to being like Peter Parker. I learned how to mix, boil, and set things on fire. Later I would realize how useful understanding chemistry is to being a great chef.
After graduating Rye Neck High School I considered going to college and playing division III football. Football was my big passion in high school and it’s a sport I still love and follow. I knew I couldn’t go pro and I wasn’t sure what I would want to study at college. While I was debating what to do, my mom’s catering partner— who also taught cooking classes— gave me brochures on three culinary schools. The options were the California Culinary Academy, the Culinary Institute of America, and the French Culinary Institute (FCI).
The first two were expensive and required professional experience of which I had none and required a two year commitment. To be honest I wasn't even sure that cooking was a profession that I would want to pursue long term. I settled on the moST affordable short term solution. The FCI was a six month program which cost around $10,000 at the time. I told myself that I loved food and that even if I didn't find a career in it, knowing how to cook would be a personal benefit. I was confident that whatever the case, I could work to pay the tuition and six months was a commitment I could make. So, I graduated from the International Culinary
Center (ICC) in 1992 which at the time that I was a student was called the French Culinary Institute. Those in the know, like ICC instructor Marc Bauer, recognize that this makes me a bit of a dinosaur.
After graduation I jumped right in to the profession. I lived and worked in San Francisco, LA, Seattle and New York. I traveled the seas on Holland America as a guest Chef. The highlights of my professional career to this point have been that I was one of the opening Sous Chefs for Wolfgang Puck's Spago in Beverly Hills. It was an exciting time in my career. I was Executive Chef for Century Link Field which is the home to the NFL Seattle Seahawks and the MLS Sounders. This position saw me to the Super Bowl in 2013 and afforded me some cool opportunities and experiences. You may have also seen me winning on Food Network’s Chopped a few times.
This is a space where I’ll share with you all about Eats, Escapes, and Experiences. I’ll share recipes, review restaurants, take you along on travel and finding the best eats and exploration, as well as share stories and advice on family and the profession.
Looking forward to sharing with you and also learning about you, dear reader! Let me know in the comments about who you are, where you’re reading from, and what you would like more of. Below is a video telling you a little bit more about me.
Until next time, cheers!
