I started my culinary career when I was fifteen. I began as many great chefs do, as a dishwasher. I was quickly moved to the fry cook position and found that I actually enjoyed the environment that a kitchen offers. The hours were long and weekends were scares, tough for a teen to deal with, yet the sense of pride and purpose it gave me made it all worth it.

I decided to pursue a career in food after graduating high school. I became a student at Des Moines Community College in the Culinary Arts program. While attending classes I worked for several local chefs before finding the one that would push my desire to be a chef over the top. I was interview by a chef at a new restaurant in the area, Don Hensley, he was operating the restaurant Danielle Bistro and Bakery. Chef Don was not from Iowa; he was from Dallas and shared with me a flair for food I had not been exposed to.

Working at Danielle gave me a chance to see all the opportunities the food industry had to offer, so after graduating from the local culinary program at DMACC, I packed up my jeep and headed north east, to Hyde Park, NY, to the nations most recognized cooking school, The Culinary Institute of America.

I was amazed and I have to say it was two of the best years of my life. While attending the CIA I had the opportunity to do my externship at famed chef Bobby Flay’s MESA GRILL in NY City. I also returned to Des Moines during this time to compete for Danielle Restaurant and Bakery at a National Beef Council Competition and won my first competition along with a nice check to go with it. That was it, I was born to cook!!

After graduating from The Culinary Institute I traveled to Austin, TX to work with the former Sous Chef from Danielle, J.R. Degan who was then and is now running the famed Salt Lick BBq restaurant. J.R. is now the Corporate Chef for Salt Lick and has most recently opened up the Las Vegas location. J.R. is incredibly talented and was another individual who had a great influence on my passion for food and my current style of cooking.

After a couple of years in Austin I began to long for home again, being very close to both my parents and two wonderful (and occasionally ruthless) brothers I headed back to the mid west. Upon my return I began working at Des Moines newest and still one of the cities finest restaurants DISH, specializing in Tapas and Martinis.

After making my mark in Des Moines I was asked to take the helm and open a hot new concept, SKYBOX Lounge, a cutting edge take on the sports bar. With eclectic food and an overwhelming response from the press and public, I look to make SKYBOX as big a part of my future as ROAD CHEF.