I was born January 16, 1985 in New Orleans, Louisiana. My stepdad introduced me to cooking when I was nine years old and he instilled in me a love for cooking. He also passed on to me his techniques and intuitions associated with southern and creole cooking. Breakfast was very important to my family: so, preparing biscuits from scratch, grits, bacon, sausage, pancakes, french toast with fruit, syrup and powder sugar became a daily ritual. Weekly dinners included: gumbo, red beans and rice, fried and stewed chicken, macaroni and cheese, spaghetti and meatballs, pot roast, fried and stewed pork chops, seafood and other mouthwatering dishes. Being in the kitchen with my stepdad and helping him prepare these wonderful meals, my love for cooking became a passion and I decided at an early age to make cooking my life’s work.