Trained at the Culinary Institute of America on a full James Beard Foundation scholarship
Began his cooking career at Le Bernardin in New York City when he was 15 years old
Quote: "[on focusing on one type of food] "All the stuff I've been forced to learn has really kept me pretty excited․ There haven't been any dull moments when I've felt kind of depressed, or like, 'geez, you know, I really wish I could make something flat․'""
Worked at several restaurants throughout his career, most of them on the West Coast, including Aqua, The Campton Place, Axe and Inn of the Seventh Ray
Best known as a chef and co-owner of The Meatball Shop in New York City
Opened The Meatball Shop with his childhood friend Michael Chernow in 2010, which was so successful that four other locations and a cookbook soon followed