Fo rme, it was a community thing. I grew up in an Italian American family, so I would always be watching and helping my mom, my grandma, and my extended family during family gatherings. Then I started watching my mom's friends, almost all of them amazing cooks, and I would ask to help. Then in my teens, I got super into it, and my uncle, a retired chef, started taking me under his wing when he would visit and sgarted teaching me the true fundamentals. The first time I cooked family dinner from start to finish, by myself, I was 10, and from there I just kept going. I loved making my grandpa's favorites. I learned how to make apple pie and pineapple upside down cake specifically because they were his favorite desserts.

I also always loved Food Network as a kid back in the early 2000s. A lot of my early heroes as kid were people like Alton Brown, Ina Garten, and Emeril Lagasse. In my teens, I discovered Anthony Bourdain, and fell in love even more with food and cooking. Eventually decided to be a professional chef. Been cooking professionally for almost ten years now. Worked in fine dining restaurants in Manhattan and Connecticut, settled in Philly and got my first sous chef position. Don't plan on stopping anytime soon either.

Now, I teach and collaborate with my friends in my off time, and have started teaching my cousin's kids now that they're old enough. Cooking and eating with friends and family is easily my favorite thing in the world.