My appreciation for good food began in childhood. I grew up in Oregon with a large family of adventurous eaters and home cooks. Since the age of nine, I have found myself creating in the kitchen nearly everyday, and it has always been a labor of love.
It's gratifying to cook for other people. Food is more than mere sustenance, fuel for the body. It's soul. It's love.
My mom injured her back when I was nine years old, and I took over preparing dinner for our family of eight every night. Prior to this my mom had cooked delicious homemade meals for us - myself, two brothers, two sisters, dad and grandma. No matter the circumstances, we always sat down together to share the meal. I continued this tradition for her.
My father was born in Vienna and spent ten years of his young adult life in Shanghai, so our family was rightly influenced by European and Asian cuisine. My parents introduced us to wildly diverse food, starting at a young age, which in turn, has influenced my palette and cooking.
Given my passion for cooking and 20 years experience as a corporate event coordinator, becoming a personal chef made perfect sense.