story

Born in Kentucky, raised in Ohio USA many moons ago, I wanted to pursue a craft of some sort but was never sure what, though the creative arts were deep in my blood early on. It all came together after attending University off and on, spending time here and there around the country, and ultimately asking ones self the hard questions. But I knew it had to include a nomadic lifestyle, some sort of creative expression, and easy to find work.

So cooking it was. And quite the journey it became.

By that time I’d already had a lot of experience in hospitality; dishwasher, waiter, fry cook, host, you name it I did it. I started to get into baking, and thought school would be the way to go. And I figured if it was gonna cost me, and I might as well go live in paradise.

I’d never been down south, and it seemed so exotic and such a stark contrast from where I came from. So I moved to West Palm Beach, Florida in December 2003, attending culinary school in the morning and working for the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company in the evening & weekends. I stayed with the company for the next four years living in both West Palm Beach and Atlanta, Georgia, pushing myself and getting pushed by my early mentors. Next up was San Francisco, California where I got my foot in the restaurant scene getting to work at some stellar places broadening my experience.

In 2010, the south was calling me back so I returned to Atlanta taking on my first managerial positions. I soon took the opportunity to help my dear friend and mentor Taria open her creative venture, a chocolate and candy shop Sugar-Coated Radical as her Pastry Chef.

Keeping to my nomadic spirit, 2012 saw me back to San Francisco. I took on my first Head Pastry Chef position at a Michelin-starred restaurant, called Commis in Oakland, earning my first star. Soon after I helped open a new spot Box & Bells, heading up both restaurant pastry programs. At the same time I seized the opportunity to moonlight as a Pastry Chef Consultant for CCD Innovation doing creative product development.

In 2014, I headed overseas to Sweden spending the next year in Göteborg where I started to actualize my creative venture midnight : sessions. Then in 2015, heading to the UK was the next adventure.

Landing in Brighton, I spent some time at Silo Brighton before moving to London in 2016. I took on the Pastry Chef position at Michelin-starred Kitchen Table, then as Head Pastry Chef at the Michelin-starred Portland restaurant. Taking the next step in my career, I became the Group Head Pastry Chef for Caravan restaurants 6 sites, To-Go concept and bakery.

In late 2019 I made the move to Bristol, deciding to focus on my freelance venture, midnight, and to get more of a balanced schedule. I began offering cooking classes, providing custom consulting services, as well as working on various projects, dinners and collaborations.

Since November 2020, I have been based in Västmanland County, Sweden, currently the Pastry Chef at Färna Herrgård & Spa.