I am extremely energized and excited about joining Great Harvest Bread Co. as its new Corporate Chef. After 18 years in the food business, this is truly a dream job for me. I will be responsible for all research and development including creating and refining recipes, wheat testing, training, and assisting bakery owners whenever they may need some culinary tips or troubleshooting. Coming from a big busy family with two working entrepreneurs as parents, I started cooking for my family early in my life from books and PBS cooking shows, dreaming of becoming a chef. My professional cooking career began at age fourteen when I became an apprentice at a French bistro in my hometown of Wilmette, IL just outside Chicago. I worked my way up in that kitchen a
ll through high school, spending the latter half of my senior year at the renowned Trio in Evanston before heading to the Culinary Institute of America in New York.
After graduation I worked as a chef in various segments of the industry, including restaurants, large and small scale catering operations, private dining, and lodges in Florida, California, Chicago, Seattle, and Port Townsend, WA. Prior to joining Great Harvest I spent the last year and a half helping build a six store chain of revolutionary butcher shops in Seattle that focus on using whole animals sourced from local ranchers. Before that I was the executive chef at Gray Wolf Ranch in Port Townsend, WA for over six years, cooking with produce from our own organic garden and products from local farmers and fishermen whenever possible.
I am i
ncredibly passionate about healthy, and sustainable foods and believe in supporting local producers and growers whenever possible. It strengthens communities and just plain tastes better. I believe whole grains are one of the most important elements of a healthy diet. I am excited to help further build the Great Harvest brand and take advantage of the growing movement towards healthy eating and whole grains. Never in recent history has such energy been behind products exactly like we sell at Great Harvest.
When not working or cooking, I love to be in the outdoors experiencing all that Montana has to offer such as snowboarding, camping, hiking with my dog
, and fishing. The kind folks here in Dillon have even promised to teach this city boy how to shoot a rifle and hunt. I love to travel and experience new cultures and cuisines; especially anywhere I get to practice my Spanish. I am also thankful to work for a company that is so focused on giving back to the community. I have previously spent time volunteering to help the less fortunate through mission work at an orphanage in Guatemala, on the Navajo and Sioux reservations, and in Appalachia. I look forward to being able to give back to my new community in Montana.
Through my posts on this blog I will share with you interesting food stories, cooking tips, recipes, and tales from my adventures as a chef living in Montana. And I look forward to hearing your feedback too!
