About Me

I grew up in Michigan, in and around Detroit. Though I initially began training for a career in the visual arts, an early exposure to cooking, particularly bread and pastry set me on a different path. This self-directed culinary training (I don't really care for the term "self taught") humbly began in a friend's pastry shop, where I became fascinated by the science of bread, its Zen-like process, and its living, breathing nature. I immersed myself in learning everything I could about the art and science of cooking, though always preferring to learn on the job rather than enroll in a formal culinary education.

By the mid-1990s, I had entered my first restaurant kitchen, where I worked my way up to the dual role of pastry chef and sous chef under Rick Halberg at Emily’s in Northville, Michigan. In 1997 I joined the newly opened Tribute restaurant in Farmington Hills, starting as a line cook for Takashi Yagihashi. This influence from both culinary realms, savory and sweet, has played an important role in my development, but the desire to focus on pastry alone eventually won out. In 1999 I became Tribute's pastry chef. The next five years at Tribute not only solidified my style and technique, but also attracted the attention of my peers and the media. In 2002 and 2003, I was named one of the Top Ten Pastry Chefs by Pastry Art and Design magazine.

Always looking to further myself as a chef, in 2004 I accepted the executive pastry chef position at Le Bernardin, working under Eric Ripert and Maguy Le Coze. As a young, eager cook, it had long been a personal goal to live and work in New York City, and years later I still love it! Since I've joined Le Bernardin, the restaurant has been awarded three Michelin stars, and given a four-star review by Frank Bruni in the New York Times. Bon Appetit named me its Pastry Chef of the Year in 2004, and in 2007, I was tapped as Outstanding Pastry Chef by the James Beard Foundation.

In addition to my work at Le Bernardin, I have also worked as a consultant, involved with various restaurants and creative projects across the country, and most recently began working with pastry shops in Japan. I have also been very fortunate to receive notice from various print, radio, and television media.

And though I do spent a lot of time working and thinking about food, I still try to find some time to pursue my other passions: art, music, film, and photography. I live in Manhattan with my awesome wife, Heather, and two awesome cats.