From an early age, I knew I wanted to create food with my hands for a living. As a young chef, I worked in nearly every facet of our industry, including fine dining restaurants, luxury hotels, chocolate shops, patisseries, ingredient manufacturers, and even the kitchens at the White House.

At the age of 28, I found myself teaching aspiring chefs chocolate and pastry as the newest faculty member at Johnson & Wales University. During my 11-year tenure, I developed my skills as an experienced educator and leader.

Teaching also afforded me time to collaborate with global brands such as Cacao Barry, Sosa, and 100% Chef, giving me the opportunity to travel the world, both learning new techniques and teaching other professional chefs. When I later joined the Chocolate Academy as Lead Chef in North America, I focused on pushing myself creatively while teaching at the highest professional level.

As chefs, I believe we play a key role in the world. In 2017, I earned a Masters degree in Sustainable Food Systems. Sustainability is the central theme in my development of plant-based pastry, and over the past few years I've developed a range of plant-based creations that match or exceed the taste and aesthetics of traditional pastry.

In my current role as a Professor at the Culinary Institute of America, I seek to make an impact by inspiring the next generation of chefs and empowering professional chefs to make a difference.