Profile

At BOKA, the restaurant, I create, produce, and document seasonal dessert menus of five dishes as well as ice creams, sorbets, and petit fores.  I also teach the pastry staff how to make the components of each dish and plate them to order.  I also provide ongoing troubleshooting, maintenance, and quality control.

I began At the Kitchen Door Pastry Consulting as a way of diversifying my professional life and to act as my own boss. It makes sense for some restaurants not to have and pay their own pastry chef.  I work with them to create desserts that mesh with their style and savory menu.  It also allows me to work in and see different restaurants.

Being a chef is hands on. Most of my time is spent standing up and baking recipes. Professional kitchens are generally small, so I work in close proximity to the other staff.

I work with a diverse environment of people.  Owners, entrepreneurs, culinary students, line cooks and servers from all types of backgrounds from over the country and world.

When I am in the restaurant, I arrive around 10:00 am.  I review what needs to be accomplished.  Then I procure equipment and ingredients and begin baking.  

Later, I attend the service meeting with the front of the house staff. I also complete any paperwork that needs to be finished, as well as place any orders for ingredients for the following day. 

I often stay for service and help plate desserts as customers order them.  I also review with the pastry staff what needs to be completed the next day.

Patience, creativity, problem solving, thick skin.

When I am in a restaurant, I often work eight to twelve hour days, five to six days a week.

I can, and I hope to with At the Kitchen Door.  Otherwise, when I do travel on my own, I like to try different restaurants to get inspired by new food.

I love that my job is hands on.  I love finishing a day and being able to see what I have made or hear or see that someone has enjoyed the fruits of my labor.

The most challenging aspect is that it can be unpredictable.  So many different things can affect the pace and sales for the night, and it is a horrible feeling to not provide guests with what they want.

I like to try different restaurants and see what they are creating and how it looks.  I also read the newspaper, industry magazines and different cookbooks.  It all helps generate ideas and get the creativity flowing.

Sometimes the most inspiring thing is cooking for friends and family.  Sometimes when they are really impressed, it is the biggest pat on the back.   

I worked under Pastry Chef Mindy Segal, she taught me to work hard in a challenging environment.  She also taught me to taste everything.  Just because something looks good, it doesn’t mean that it is a success.   I had to learn to how to make things taste delicious and look beautiful.

Learn the fundamentals.  In the cooking world, it means learning proper technique and executing it the same way everyday because customers want reliability.  Once a strong foundation is developed, then you can move upward and onward.  Excellence is hard work.

Take shortcuts.  I never want to make an excess of something like cake and freeze the extra until I need it.  The end product suffers.  I would rather do something more frequently to make a superior result.

Try lots of different things in the world—sports, classes, trips, books, et al. It will help to find your passion.

I read, play tennis, and do arts and crafts like knitting and beading.  I also socialize and spend time with friends and family. 

Food—I love how it brings people together, how it can teach about cultures, how it can transport to a different place and time.

Travel—I love exploring new places, seeing the sites, and meeting new people.

My relationship with food had a dubious start.  In my childhood, I took finicky to a new level, subsisting for a few years almost exclusively on saltine crackers with creamy peanut butter, chased with chocolate milk.

 
My culinary whims subsided and through travel, I became increasing excited about cooking and dining.  After Vanderbilt, I wanted to get into small business, specifically catering.  I enrolled in culinary school and found a home in the pastry kitchen.  I began working in restaurants.  I worked under Mindy Segal at MK the Restaurant and then became the pastry chef.

I always had a sweet tooth.  When I was in culinary school, the pace of the pastry kitchen appealed to me.  There is also something arts and craftsy about making and creating desserts, and it just spoke to me.

In 2007, I was put in a coma and also suffered a traumatic brain injury as well as a compound fracture in my right arm and leg and a lacerated liver when I was hit while on foot in a hit and run accident.  I was in the hospital for about two months then in further intense rehabilitation for about six weeks.  I went back to work in a more limited capacity for a few weeks before resuming all of my work responsibilities.  It still challenges my memory.  I have to rely on written recipes rather than knowing them by rote.