How did you decide to work at the Culinary Institute of America?
I was in the industry for about 16 years and throughout that time I’d been heavily involved in training restaurant employees, especially as I came to the front house. I noticed that some of the best service people, servers, sommeliers, and captains at each of these two and three Michelin starred restaurants, were CIA students that had made a career change. I was really inspired to share my story and share what I could do to, hopefully, inspire some students to leave the back-of-house and go to the front-of-house and learn that there’s opportunities in the larger world of restaurants than just cooking.
What previous positions have you had that you feel have impacted or influenced your teaching role at CIA?
I graduated in 2013 from the Culinary Institute in Hyde Park, NY, and I’m a Certified Sommelier, studying for my level three, the Advanced Sommelier. I’ve been a chef at an Italian bistro, a sous chef at a French restaurant, an executive chef at a pizzeria and I’ve worked harvest in vineyards. I also worked as a front-of-house service professional at a Michelin three-star restaurant called Sazon. I’ve had a lot of experiences throughout my life that qualify me to kind of share my own experiences and my journey. Through the restaurants into what I teach now.
Education:
AOS, CIA, Hyde Park, NY. Certified Sommelier, Court of Master Sommeliers, Americas. Certified Scotch Professional, Council of Whiskey Masters. Certified Specialist of Spirits, Society of Wine Educators.
Professional Experience:
Service Director/Sommelier, Commis, Oakland, CA. Sommelier, Gabriel Kreuther, New Yotk City. Beverage Manager/Lead Sommelier, PUBLIC Hotel, New Yotk City. Sales Associate, Big Nose Full Body, Brooklyn, NY. Executive Chef/Food & Beverage Manager, Ankeny Vineyard, Salem, OR. Kitchen Manager, Angelina’s, Panama City, FL.