I am a Chicago Native, but I was born in Milwaukee WI. I developed a passion for culinary arts in my early years. As a senior in high school I took a culinary arts elective and fell in love with the education that came with our food. I learned more about processed foods and how much of a necessity it is to have home cooked meals, or to avoid snacks in general. As I moved to Texas I began working in a kitchen as a dishwasher just to get in the door. Within my first year working in the industry, I became the lead cook at Guckenheimer, and worked various catering gigs with Chef Ceasar in Fort Worth also staging at restaurants to obtain as much knowledge as I could. I soon began to earn my degree at Le Cordon Bleu, pursing my passion for the industry. After completing my degree, I was honored to become the Sous Chef at Blue Sushi Sake Grill for over 3 years, and later opened up a new restaurant near downtown Dallas. I've also managed other restaurant operations, but Blue Sushi is where i got my first break. Although my family is not in the industry, they have inspired me to also put love into every dish I create. Once Covid hit I was faced with the same harsh reality of most people in the service industry. Also, my Son was born during covid, so I had to pick a struggle lol. I started working from home to provide for my family. My son is now 3 and I recently began to think of the father figure I want him to see and that drove me to return to doing what I love. I want to inspire people with my food and give hope to healthy eating lifestyles. My hobbies outside of cooking are weightlifting and video games. I've recently begun this weightlifting journey for over 5 years, and I only hope to continue building the mentality that allows me to see the positive outcome through consistency, discipline, hard work and dedication. I'm grateful to be part of a mission as graceful as Allegiance Academy and can't wait to see what ways we can grow from here!