I’m a classically French-trained chef, husband, parent, grandparent and all around bon vivant. I’ve lived on the east coast my entire life, growing up in New Jersey, then to Boston for college and then New York City for the past decade. I’m a city guy through and through; restaurants, fashion, theater, and subways were my forté... but now I am living in rural Michigan on a lake surrounded by acres and acres of red pines and native forest.   

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We made the move from our Brooklyn, New York neighborhood to our lake house in the woods. After living in the state of New York for 13 years, the opportunity to leave the city and move to our cottage presented itself when my position at a global nonprofit was eliminated – and with that fateful day, my partner Marc, and I started to plot our 'escape from NYC'. We left the city in late December 2019 and have never looked back.

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I love all things culinary from cooking to eating and from teaching and learning. Growing up in a Portuguese/Polish household, I was exposed to lots of different foods and cultural traditions. I feel fortunate that cooking was an important part of my growth. My memories of food growing up, of Sunday afternoon dinners sitting around the family table, and influences of French, Italian and British relatives. 

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I welcome you to join me on my journey and along the way I’ll provide a mix of stories, great recipes and thoughts on food, plus notes on travel destinations once we can all get back to the new normal. The change of seasons is upon us so take a break from your day and follow me from the 'hoods to the woods.