While pursuing my own restaurant project, I offered my services to the hospitality industry to assist in training of chefs in the operational tasks of running a kitchen. In addition to training chefs, I have assisted in numerous restaurant openings, as well as kitchen design and construction and the development of recipe costing and inventory templates.

Responsibilities included the organizing and detailing, from start to finish, of all catered events and hiring for the kitchens of Lisa Dupar Catering and Pomegranate Bistro. Along with the Corporate Chef, I was responsible for food and labor costs. In addition, I was in charge of many off-site events for the high-end clientele of this $8 M+ operation.

Located in the California Academy of Sciences Museum, I was hired by James Beard award winner Charles Phan (Slanted Door, Heaven’s Dog, Out the Door) to operate this facility which had been open for two years prior to my hiring. The operation consisted of two restaurants, the Academy Café and The Moss Room. I was responsible for a 250+ seat café which offered multiple menu items prepared by staff at manned serving stations. The focus of the food was organic and sustainable. In fact, 90% of our produce was organic and provided by some the best local farmers in the Bay Area. The food selection represented a broad flavor profile, but also included signature menu items from Charles Phan’s restaurants. Revenues averaged between $ 7-9 million annually, and the café served an average of 5,000 to 10,000 attendees daily. Responsibilities included purchasing for both The Academy Café and the second revenue center, The Moss Room. I also managed the in-house catering program and handled the scheduling, hiring

A sister project to Va de Vi, this restaurant opened across the Bay in the Letterman Digital Art Center, located in San Francisco’s Presidio. An ambitious, multi-faceted operation, Pres a Vi had two private dining rooms, each able to hold 40 guests and an expansive dining room that included a 20-top communal table. Pres a Vi also had a large, separate lounge area and an outside deck that could hold up to 80 guests. There was a total seating capacity of over 250.

An upscale bistro and wine bar located in Walnut Creek, California. Opened amid great acclaim, I designed a globally-inspired menu around a ‘small plates’ concept. Seasonal menu development included lunch and dinner, weekly menu changes, and daily specials. Va de Vi has a 65 seat restaurant, with an additional 55 outdoor seats, used seasonally. Notably, during my tenure, Va de Vi, had been listed by Michael Bauer, Senior Food Editor of the San Francisco Chronicle, as one of 2005 ’ Top Ten New Restaurants’, and was one of only three East Bay restaurants that made the highly coveted “2005 Top 100 Restaurants” publication. Va de Vi was also selected as one of the top seven restaurants in the East Bay, by Diablo Magazine, with my food featured on the cover for their November 2005 edition. From 2005 to the present, Va de Vi has retained a spot on these lists. I also created the recipes to a self- published cookbook, entitled ‘The Va de Vi Cookbook’. To date, Va de Vi is a $4 million+ operation; with a guest check average of between $40.00 and $45.00 per person.

My first venture in opening a restaurant with a long-time friend and partner, Ono Maze was an 86-seat, upscale restaurant with additional outdoor seating of 35. Open less than a year, Ono Maze met with critical acclaim from Nicolas Boer, the Food Editor of the East Bay paper, the Contra Costa Times. Selected plates from the menu were also featured, later that year, in a multiple page, full-color, and feature article in the Food section of the Contra Costa Times. In addition, Diablo magazine named Ono Maze ‘Best New Restaurant in the East Bay’ in their July 2002 Reader’s Poll. In the January 2002, Diablo magazine I was featured in a four page article, for their series ’On the Table’. My involvement with the restaurant was all-encompassing, with the direction of the kitchen production and guidance of front of the house operations, as well. Seasonal menu development included lunch and dinner, prix-fixe promotional dinners, and catered parties.