Food services had been my dream occupation since I was a teenager. But before that dream became reality I took a slight detour, starting with a football scholarship at the University of Maryland. Many years later, I enrolled in the Pennsylvania Institute of Culinary Arts. I attended school by day and worked at the William Penn Hotel by night. On weekends I leased a kitchen in a local pub, working as a one-person staff.
Once my coursework was complete, I moved to Peachtree City, Georgia where I accepted a position as cook at the conference center, becoming part of a great staff and gaining experience designing weekly menus and serving guests from all over the world. Quickly promoted to p.m. Sous Chef, my experiences expanded to include catered weddings, private parties, upscale fine dining, a daily grand buffet, and the Governor of Georgia's Dogwood Ball.
After five years at Aberdeen Woods and one year as unit manager at Waffle House, I found a new home at the University of Georgia. As the Chef at Oglethorpe Dining Commons, I adapted my food preparation skills and talents to the award-wining university's style of service. In addition, I was recently awarded the bronze medal in the NACUFS Chef's Culinary Challenge. In 2008, I was promoted as Chef/Manager at Oglethorpe Dining Commons where I spent the next five years before taking the position of Manager at Snelling Dining Commons.