My love affair with food began young, with my grandma counting out eggs and blocks of butter for me, standing at her kitchen island mixing up huge batches of cookie dough with little kid hands. It wasn’t until later that I realized that much like any affair, it would consume all areas of my life.

My very first job as a 16 year old was working at a local steakhouse as a hostess for several years. I remember, in a pinch one night,  working an expo shift in the kitchen because we were short handed- I could not get over the feeling of satisfaction and surge of adrenaline after working that first shift in the back of house. After graduating from Catholic Central, I attended Le Cordon Bleu in the Twin Cities in Minnesota. Throughout my schooling, I was part of a team that helped open an upscale dining concept in south Saint Paul called “Enjoy!”