I grew up in Bardstown, Kentucky, where kitchens were always full—of food, stories, and the women in my family cooking with love. My first kitchen memory isn’t even at home—it’s at my mom’s work. I’d stand on a five-gallon bucket, stirring sausage gravy and helping the biscuit lady shape dough.

Food, for me, has always been about care and connection. I learned to cook from my mom, aunts, and grandma—strong women who cooked with heart and fed everyone, no matter what. Over the years, I’ve worked in different places and with different cultures, but my cooking always comes back to that sense of comfort, of home.

I like food that feels simple but has depth. I cook by feel, by memory, and always with intention.  Live fire cooking makes me the happiest—there’s something magical about real flames and smoke. I don’t have a favorite dish (please don’t ask!), but I love seeing people’s faces when they taste something that hits just right. That moment is everything.

Ocaso is my way of recreating that feeling of walking into a family gathering—you’re welcomed, there’s always something on the stove, and no one leaves hungry. That’s what I want people to feel.

When I’m not cooking, I’m a total nerd: I love video games, comics, fantasy, LEGO builds, and terrible puns. But honestly, nothing beats a full table, happy guests, and that quiet hum of shared joy.