Q. Favorite class?
A. My first class with Chef Angels was a ceviche class, where we break down fish (Local Red Snapper) teaching the steps of safety and fish fabrication.

Q. Youth reaction?
A. The youth were at first apprehensive about ceviche being the class, but when I had shown the kids the fish we would be breaking down they all had excited or indifferent reactions to the class. There were a handful of volunteers that were excited to chop, slice and mix. Seeing their willingness to help and take initiative was motivation to teach another class.

Q. Fantasy location?
A. I would love to take all the kids from Chef Angels to the only certified organic farm in San Diego. JR ORGANICS is a multigenerational family owned farm, located in the hills of Escondido. 

Q. Why there?
A. [They have] 100 Acres of fresh, sustainable, varietal vegetables and fruits. Their produce changes with the season, and can be found at local markets like the CoOp, Farmers Markets and Commercial Stores. They could tour the rows and rows of abundance and even pick some produce to gain appreciation for agricultural work. They also could learn about composting and putting back into the soil the rich nutrients of food scraps and organic matter. 

Q. First job in culinary?
A. My culinary journey started at Tender Greens back in 2016, where I moved up from cashier, to salad maker, meat carver and then to grill cook, where I would be alongside the chef to come up with daily specials and soups.

Q. Path to chefdom?
A. I really fell in love with cooking when traveling to New York for a few months to open a restaurant in Manhattan, training a few hundred staff, in creating new systems and streamlining the blueprint for more restaurants to open. It ignited a passion for me.

Q. What came next?
A. Soon it was time for me to move on so I came home to San Diego and worked on my craft at Ironside Fish & Oyster, Underbelly Ramen, and helped open Morning Glory, and Soda & Swine. Once the pandemic hit I had already started my own meal prep business for friends and family, which has made its own transformation into working for high performance athletes and doctors. Although it’s been a winding journey full of challenges and triumph, I have found that treating my work like art keeps me inspired and motivated to create social change. 

Q. Advice for your younger self?
A. To my younger self, you present yourself very well and make great first impressions which is a gift in itself but find the reaches of your depth and potential. 

Q. Top life lesson?
A. Find peace in the uncomfortability, and use your strength and energy into creating. And create with no judgement, each thing you create becomes another entry in your diary, which will soon become stacks of books with unlimited possibilities of resilience and beauty. Keep going and remember direction over speed.