Growing up in Long Island, NY, I was raised by my grandparents and often watched my grandmother throw dinner together, amazed at how she was able to do it after a long day at work. While she cooked out of necessity, I noticed she did not love cooking.

For me, cooking has always been a loving way to bring people together and have fun.

I remember when I was 7, my grandmother taught me to make Irish Soda Bread. My favorite part was making the cross in the bread before it hit the oven. In her Irish accent, she’d say it was “to let the fairies out” and ensure good luck.

As a self-trained chef, it’s memories like these that bring me to the kitchen. I enjoy the same playful cooking I grew up around. And these days, I enjoy sharing these moments in the kitchen with my son, too.

Besides my grandmother’s Irish food, I also have a real love for southern cooking. Baked mac and cheese, collard greens, fried chicken, cornbread… I could go on. I’m blessed to have had so many wonderful friends and extended family welcome me into their kitchens. They’ve shown me the right way to cook their signature dishes. And then, of course, I put my playful spin on them.