My Biography

If you grew up as I did in a large Italian family, you would know that its all about  cooking and family gatherings!  This is my culture and where I got my love of cooking.   My first real experience in the trade was when I was fifteen years old.  I got a job at a local restaurant called  the Melody Grill, later to be known as Dorothys Kitchen and more recently the Hob Knob Hill in San Diego.  Harold and Dorothy Hirsch, the owners, saw how eager I was to learn the restaurant business and became my mentors.  I started out as a busboy, then graduated to the kitchen as salad maker, to line cook, slicing meats and preparing dishes for the customers. Years later, I graduated to become head Chef at Dorothys Kitchen.  Then Uncle Sam got a hold of me and I went into the army where I attribute most of my catering experience in the mess hall. We would serve hundreds of solders and civilians everyday.  While stationed in Viet Nam, I learned about Asian culture and cooking techniques.  After the service I returned to being head chef at Hob Nob Hill, and Harolds Fifth Avenue, where I would set menus and prepare main entrees and generally run the kitchen.  After a few years, my sense of adventure led me in a new direction when I was given an opportunity to cook on a commercial tuna seiner for a captain and crew of 18.  We sailed the coasts of South America, the Caribbean and South Africa for months at a time.  I really enjoyed this time in my life with the exception of being away from home so I had an offer to become a catering coordinator and head chef at the Elks Lodge in San Diego. We served lunch and dinner with champagne brunch on Sundays.  More recently I ran a small construction business which I chose to semi-retire from last year and return to my first love of cooking as a Personal Chef.  I joined the American Personal Chef Association in November of 2003. 

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