What we eat and how we eat says a lot about us. Ingredients reflect the landscape, recipes represent the people, and cuisine honors culture and tradition. The story of food is the story of us, and our wellness is in symbiosis with the wellness of the farms, forests, rivers, lakes, and seas. My interests lies in traditional foods, and cooking techniques, from the endless bounty of gourmet wild foods that we possess here in the Hudson Valley, to the new generation of farmers and brewers producing some of the finest quality foods seen anywhere on Earth. And to cook and cure these foods through exciting old ways.
My culinary background is in American barbecue, and I have been serving up gourmet burgers, homemade sausages, fall off the bone sweet ribs, and of course the king of all meats, the smoked brisket. But I am not defined by replicating the classics, I impart in every single one of my cooks, inspiration and technique from my extensive travels around the world, always with an eye towards the familiar and fun. When I was invited on the Esquire’s The Next Great Burger show, I beat out America’s top Zagats burger restaurant chefs with my deep fried beignet bun inspired by trips to New Orleans and served with caramelized pears and saffron aioli. I lived for five years in Mexico, mastering awesome sauces, stuffed chiles and of course tacos, a favorite of mine that I have been serving at my pop ups and events for years. I also specialize in foraging and outdoor cooking and host wilderness cooking events. Meals are prepared using primitive techniques and bushcraft skills. I work with top butchers in NYC and Hudson Valley/Westchester and source meats from local farms.
