About Us

My passion for food started early with my parents seasonal garden. We did a lot of canning and preserving, and cooked a lot of family meals with our harvest. This foundation, along with a trip at age 12 to my cousin's graduation at The Culinary Institute of NY was all the inspiration I needed.

From 12-18 I worked at My Pi Pizza In Minneapolis. The west was calling and upon graduation from high school, I moved to SF to go to art school. My studies began at The Academy of Art College in San Francisco-but the call of the kitchen was too great-they culminated at The California Culinary Academy.

After four years running the kitchen at 330 Rich Street, a successful Jazz and supper club in San Francisco, I moved on to The Fog City Diner and The Buckeye Roadhouse where I was able to hone my skills under the tutelage of Chef Cindy Pawlcyn, as her executive Sous Chef.

After a short spell back in my hometown of Minneapolis, as chef at Café Un Deux Trois, I again moved back to the Bay Area, to join Cindy Pawlcyn in opening Cindy's Back Street Kitchen in St. Helena.

For the past five years I have worked intimately on the day to day operations as well as projects relating to the expansion and marketing of Pizza Azzurro, with chef / owner Michael Gyetvan.

I'm a modern day renaissance man - I like to paint and draw, watch the Green Bay Packers, ride my bike, and spend time with my cat, Minx.