About

After several years working my way through a variety of cuisines and three Michelin star restaurants from Chicago to Copenhagen, I have returned to my roots in St. Louis, excited to bring my expertise to your table.

I was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, where my love affair with food began in my mom and grandmother’s kitchen. What started with stirring pots and sneaking tastes quickly turned into late-night “feasts” for my friends at 3 a.m. (sorry again, Mom). By 15, I was tossing pizzas at Cecil Whittaker’s and sharpening my skills at South Tech High School in Culinary Arts.

Hungry for more, I headed to New York to attend The Culinary Institute of America, then returned home to train under my first mentor, Nate Hereford, at the acclaimed St. Louis restaurant Niche. From there, the journey really took off—Atlanta came calling, where I joined Restaurant Eugene and its sister restaurants, diving deep into the art of wine, cocktails, and elevated hospitality.

Denver was my next stop, and that’s where I discovered the elegance of Japanese cuisine at Uchi. It lit a fire for seafood and refined flavors, which only grew under the guidance of Chef Kenta Kamo, one of the mentors who left a lasting mark on my career.

Craving the intensity of world-class kitchens, I set my sights on Copenhagen, Denmark, where I worked at Jordnær—a three-Michelin-starred powerhouse ranked the 38th best restaurant in the world. Later, I landed in Chicago at Oriole, a two-star Michelin destination, before taking on Warlord, which Esquire soon crowned the best new restaurant in America. Warlord was a proving ground, menus rewritten daily, dishes shaped by what was ready in the dry-ager or fresh from local farms. It was exhilarating, exhausting, and unforgettable.

From St. Louis to New York, Atlanta, Denver, Copenhagen, and Chicago, each stop shaped my perspective, my palate, and my passion. Now, I’ve come full circle, back home in St. Louis, bringing the flavors, lessons, and creativity of that journey to a new chapter: life as a private chef.