“As a child, our mom raised us on fruits, vegetables, grains, and proteins, period. No matter how much we bugged her for it, she almost never gave us candy or junk food. It was always dried or fresh fruit for sweet snacks. As a kid, I never liked or agreed with that decision, but as an adult and father, I completely understand her long game and am so grateful for her stubbornness to instill a healthy food lifestyle in us. It completely rubbed off on how I try to live and raise my family. I think if she was still here she would smile with pride and tell me "I told you so," as I gave my daughter an orange instead of a candy bar. My love for fresh fruits and vegetables runs very deep now because of my mom and that reflects how I cook as a chef. For me, making the vegetable the star of the plate has always been a natural and easy to do in my cuisine and menu design. I'm excited to see how many exciting techniques people all over the world are developing, as well as responsible farming and innovative ways of cooking. Vegetable-forward dishes are here to stay in the most exciting ways!”
