About
Accentuate Simplicity
Where it all began
Cooking is my lifelong passion and career.
My culinary journey began in Palm Desert at the age of 14 years old. I climbed the ranks from an apprentice to the kitchen manager and off-site catering chef at a Northern Italian restaurant all before I was 18.
Learning and growing
At nineteen, I pursued my dreams of working in San Francisco.
On the road to becoming an executive chef,I attended a Sous Chef training program with the Real Restaurant Group at Bistro Roti, Betelnut, Travignia and Fog City Diner. I worked my way up to Sous Chef at Rubicon, Hayes Street Grill, Hawthorne Lane, and Farallon. Some of the most innovative and exciting restaurants to work for at the time.
A new start
As a consulting Chef I decided to take a position in Columbus, Ohio. I opened a massive 17,000 square foot restaurant from the ground up. As an Executive Chef I hired and managed over forty kitchen employees and served hundreds of people.
Travel and New Experiences
While on my hiatus from California, I also explored the south.
New Orleans originally was a great pit stop on my drive back to California from Ohio. After a week my wife and I decided to stay and immerse ourselves in the culture. By day 14 we both had jobs and a place to live. New Orleans was truly an amazing experience for my career and an outside perspective of my life on the west coast. We ended up staying there for three years. I was fortunate to land a job quickly with references from San Francisco.
I worked as a sous chef for 3 months at Brightsons, with Frank Brightson. Frank was amazing. His dedication was something I never experienced in my career. He was the Executive Chef and owner, which meant if the restaurant was open Frank was tied to the stove. My timing was great, because Frank’s sous chef had just broken his collarbone, so I filled in while Larry recovered. I was able to prove my chops at one of the most coveted kitchens in all of New Orleans. When Larry came back to work, Frank gave me a great reference and I was able to find work quickly. I cooked and bartended, and even waited tables, gaining a fresh perspective on what it meant to run a restaurant.
Balancing life and passion
My plan was always to return to San Francisco. When I returned and landed a Chef de Cuisine position, diving into the vibrant world of Spanish tapas. Again it’s all about timing. I was able to help my first Chef in San Francisco Trish Tracey run two restaurants. However life took a beautiful turn with the arrival of my daughter, leading me to explore the more flexible realms of catering and the private chef world so I could be a part of my daughter’s upbringing. This allowed me to be a full-time dad and a part time chef.
Once my daughter started school full time, the excitement of the restaurant world called me back. Years of running kitchens under different owners, had given me the confidence to do it on my own. As owner and general manager and six months of intense hustle, my dream materialized – I was the owner of a profitable restaurant that even snagged a coveted SF Chronicle review!
After years back in the demanding restaurant grind, a new priority emerged: a better work-life balance, the chance to travel and soak in new experiences. I joined the private sector once again. This time I was a part of a start up in the fin-tech sector. As a Chef and member of the people ops team. I helped the food and wellness program scale from providing for 75 employees to thousands of employees. This was an exciting challenge to be a part of such growth. The work life balance was incredible and I was able to have a great family life.
After over two decades as a professional Chef , I’ve returned to the Coachella Valley. I’m excited to bring the diverse culinary experiences I gained from my global travels and time in the Bay Area to the desert.