Matt’s Meals: How did you get into cooking? Who inspired you?

How I got into cooking was the long way. I grew up very poor and, like a lot of people, I worked at McDonalds as my first job in the food industry, I also worked at Quizno’s at Coors Field while I was in high school. My passion was in working with my hands, I worked as a cabinet-maker for about a year and a half before I joined the military and I really enjoyed it! But I felt the need to move away from home and find a way to support me wife to be and myself and the military was the easiest choice. 

In the military, we like to come together as a group to create what we call “Esprit de Corp” to build our [cameraderie] with each other since we deploy and spend so much time together. I always volunteered to cook for these events since I really enjoyed working with my hands and food. This lead me to my time stationed in Phoenix…where I decided I wanted to pick up a trade so that I could do something out the outside of the military. Initially, I chose [to be an] auto mechanic since my whole life that is what my father has done [and because] it’s a great skill to have when you are poor since it’s cheaper to fix a car yourself than taking it to an shop. I signed up for a new hybrid course at UTI in Phoenix and, about a week prior to my class starting, the school canceled the program which left me scrambling for something else. A coworker of mine was teaching at the local culinary school near me (Scottsdale Culinary Institute – Le Cordon Bleu) and told me I should check it out. I met up with him at the school later that week and he showed me around. I was hooked within minutes and signed up that day!  That is how I started cooking for real. Since [that] time, I have cooked in three countries, at the Taste of the NFL, Blue Hill At Stone Barns, and several culinary competitions around the country and won several medals.

Who inspired me is a tough question. I think what inspired me to really love cooking at food was the original Japanese version of Iron Chef. My wife and I watched that show all the time while we were stationed in Korea for two years. I really loved the way they cooked and the creative things that they made. Chef Morimoto was a big part of that for me, but all the chefs on the show had such passion for their food it really stuck with me.  

Matt’s Meals: Where was your first professional kitchen experience and what lessons did you learn that continue to educate how you work today?

While I was in culinary school in Phoenix, we had a group of chefs that told me to get involved with the American Culinary Federation chapter. I did that and it lead me to my first real cooking job which was for an upscale caterer in Scottsdale. I remember that my first day of work was a large event at a millionaire’s home in North Scottsdale [where] my one and only job was to pick arugula stems for hours. It was a bit of a humbling experience since I was in the military and had some major real world experiences, but it was an amazing job and the event was awesome….. This really fueled my passion for more, and I started looking at other jobs I could do that were also closer to my house. At this time, I was doing 20-hour days Monday through Friday and 10-hour days on the weekends. What I found in the end was Skye Supper Club in Glendale. This was a fine dining establishment and was where I cut my teeth in the fine dining world. Chef Scott Tompkins was the Chef/Owner and he really took me under his wing. We cooked amazing food with French/American influences. The only reason I left Skye was due to the military. I received orders to move to a small town in Idaho. But Chef Tompkins forever left his mark on me for continued passion and to never stop learning. He’s the person who got me my first culinary books and magazines. He got me to look at food in a completely different way. 

Matt’s Meals: What have been the biggest challenges you have faced and how have you handled then?

My biggest challenges have been due to my military life and having to move every other year or so. Every time I got settled in and found amazing chefs and places to work at or stage at, I would get orders to move to my next location. This has also presented me with many new opportunities, but it’s also hard to start over ever time. The American Culinary Federation has helped me so much in this regard. I have always found a chapter near the new location I would move to and my chapter president at each place helped me connect to that new chapter each time. After my time in Idaho, I was selected for a position in North Bay, Ontario. My chapter president and mentor made some calls to the National ACF president and he got in touch with the Canadian Culinary Federation and connected me with the closest chapter near me.

Matt’s Meals: How has your cooking and business style changed and how has the industry changed?

My cooking style was strictly based on classic French cooking but, as I moved and found new foods and styles of cooking, my style…adapted and evolved into a more modern style. I love molecular cooking, but at the same time I love classical techniques as well. I have figured out a way to combine those styles together along with open-fire cooking. I think that the industry has continued to evolve along with the trends that we see and how chefs and customers react to those trends. I’m rooted in classics but understand that things change and that if you don’t change with them you will be left behind.

Matt’s Meals: What are you most looking forward to this year, in terms of your career?

This one is easy! I retire from the Air Force this year which will give me more time to focus just on culinary projects like the cookbook I’m working on [and] possible TV shows. But I’m realistic as well. COVID has devastated much of the hospitality industry and I’m lucky enough to have other job skills from my military time that I can use as a bridge to get to my culinary dreams. My ultimate goal is to have a brick and mortar restaurant and we will see if that happens in the next year or two.