About Me
When I was eleven years
old I decided that I wanted to become a chef. I grew up living overseas and
travelling extensively, opening my eyes to the different flavors and techniques
of diverse cultures. I found my love for cooking and baking in the kitchen with
my grandmother, utilizing products from her garden. My grandparents lived on a
farm, so I found a respect for local, fresh ingredients at a young age.
Learning the value of respecting ingredients has greatly aided in the
development of my philosophy for food I still carry with me today. I realized
one day that people could make a career out of this passion, and I began
getting my hands in anything I could to help make my dream become a reality.
At
14 I obtained my first job at a conference center, Airlie, as a member of their
wait staff. After 2 ½ years, and countless months of convincing the executive
chef to give me a chance at my young age, they agreed to let me work in the
kitchen as a line cook. The team there took me in and taught me everything they
could before sending me off to Johnson & Wales University in the fall.
The
summer after my freshman year I moved home and took a job at a local Italian
restaurant, Chiusano, but that wasn’t challenging enough. The Inn at Little
Washington is a mere thirty minutes drive from my home, so I decided to call to
see if a position was available; however, after talking to the chef’s assistant
I was told they were not hiring. Rather than moving on, I went on-line and
submitted my resume with an explanation of my intentions, and the next day
received a call from the executive sous chef. I went in for a stage, and was
hired that night for the summer. Chiusano taught me about owning a business,
taught me the responsibility of opening and closing the restaurant, and gave me
my first opportunity to work unsupervised as a cook. The Inn at Little
Washington taught me a great deal about passionate food preparation with a
considerable emphasis on proper organization methods, consolidating, cleaning,
and the overall responsibility needed to run a smooth kitchen.
Over
the course of the next three years while completing my culinary and food
service management degrees I maintained a 3.87 GPA while working 30 hours per
week. I made a point to always challenge myself, working diligently to achieve my goal of
completing my internship at Fraser’s Restaurant in Perth, Australia. During my
junior and senior year I took on a part-time job as an accounting tutor with
the school. I wrote a thesis paper to conclude my honors program about the
importance of working smart in restaurants, and our responsibility as an
industry to keep this world healthy. I took on three concentrations as opposed
to the required one in order to learn about entrepreneurship, beverage
management, and sociology. In Charlotte I began work at Rooster’s Woodfire
Kitchen as the front of house expeditor, a job that kept me close to the
kitchen while being able to take late afternoon classes at school.
Nearing
the end of my senior year, I began to build a relationship with wine importer
Eric Solomon of European Cellars, hoping to gain experience in another aspect
of the industry. After 3 months of perseverance I began a 4 month internship
once I graduated in March. Once the internship came to an end, I stayed on as
an administrative assistant for another year. During this time, I continued my
work at Rooster’s to keep my hand in the restaurant side of the business. Using
my contacts from Rooster’s and European Cellars, I acquired a job at Bonterra
Dining & Wine Room, an upscale restaurant, for the next year. I decided to conclude my time with both employers as I was ready to take on a new
opportunity and continue my growth in a different aspect of the industry.
Combining both my love for cooking and travel, I felt the yachting industry was
just what I needed for my next move.
After two wonderful years aboard M/Y Attessa IV I decided to move on in order to expand my knowledge. I opted to travel through Europe and Asia to gain a better understanding of their cuisines first hand. I then returned home to Northern Virginia to be a part of my sister's wedding. I opted to find work as a bartender to learn yet another aspect of the industry.
