About me

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After years of leading culinary strategy at scale, I’m looking for the right opportunity to bring that experience into a new space — one that values culture, hospitality, and food with purpose. I’m excited to partner with teams who are ready to think differently, move quickly, and build something meaningful.

I believe food can do more than feed people — it can bring them together, build culture, and move companies forward. That belief has shaped every team I’ve led, every program I’ve built, and every guest experience I’ve helped design.

I was born in Burbank and raised in the San Fernando Valley, where I grew up in a predominantly Latin community that gave me an early appreciation for the bold, vibrant flavors of Latin cuisine. At home, I was surrounded by a different food story. My Greek heritage, where meals were never just meals; they were events.

My mom was the heart of that experience. She cooked nearly every night, filling our table with curiosity and care, always experimenting and diving into the latest cookbook or testing out her new microwave (remember when that was a thing?). We didn’t eat a lot of fast food or sugary snacks, so hanging out at friends’ houses introduced me to what I was missing, and they got to enjoy the warmth of a homemade Greek meal at ours. Some of those friends still show up when the souvlaki and tzatziki hit the table. When a fresh batch of Yai Yai's Baklava is being made, the personal orders roll in. And yes, my mom’s still cooking.

That connection between food, family, and cultural storytelling has always stuck with me. It’s why I love cooking in unexpected places, like crab legs in the desert on a motorcycle trip, or throwing together an asian inspired feast just because. I tend to take over the kitchen at every party (someone has to keep things moving), and honestly, nothing makes me happier than feeding the people I love.

Professionally, I owned my own restaurant for several years in my early 20's,  I’ve worked in restaurants like Josie’s and Patina, held a long-standing role as a Senior Chef at the Playboy Mansion, and spent over two decades in several roles building food programs and leading culinary teams at Guckenheimer.

• Bucket List: A long, eat-everything ramen tour through Japan.
   
• Top Noodle Experience (so far): Hamura Saimin in Kauai the best Udon (and Lilikoi Pie)
   
• Guilty Pleasure: Top Ramen (chicken flavor) and a Big Mac on my birthday.
   
• First Job: Line cook at cafe 561  with chef Eric Osley and Chef Kyle  Connaughton - been hooked ever since.

(I have had some amazing jobs in my life outside of food)
 

• Hosting Style: Always big, always bold, always a little unexpected.

• Best meal I’ve cooked outdoors: Surf and turf on a flat-top in the middle of the Mojave — ribeyes, crab legs,  artichokes and cold beer under the stars.

• Dish I’ve made a thousand times but never get tired of: Greek avgolemono soup — my go-to comfort move.
   
• Why I Cook: Because it brings people together — plain and simple.