SENSORY . MEMORY . FOUNDATION

I attribute a lot of my passion towards culture and food to my dad.  He always seemed to put me around a variety of those experiences.  Growing up in Texas I spent time with my dad cracking spicy blue crab at Aunt Debbie's house on the bay, one of my favorite things to do.  I recall trying things like boudin, fresh oysters, fried alligator, fresh gulf snapper, and of course, soulful bbq.  Oh, and there always seemed to be an itch to find the best sizzling fajitas in town.  My dad liked to cook too.  He'd make things like homemade biscuits and gravy for breakfast, bake a cake just for fun, and a master of the grill.  At times, we'd travel together, once sharing bignets at Cafe Du Monde (We did it before that scene in the movie "Chef").  Every year, in our hometown, we'd eat pounds of crawfish from the Old Town Spring Crawfish Festival.  Most importantly, we sat down at the table to eat together more times than not.

Then, there was my grandmother Gloria.  She definitely stands out in my childhood memories of food.  A short lady of Italian decent, always cooking with love.  She'd captain a 'sauce' all day over the stovetop, and even ask me to try the meatballs to check for seasoning while they were raw!  Reluctantly, I did it, but have since learned to cook a tiny portion first, and then taste for seasoning. Every Christmas Eve we'd have her 'sauce', accompanied by an abundant amount of pasta, cured and braised meats, bread lathered in butter and garlic, and perfectly dressed greens.  Because of her, my family and I strive to carry on her presence and awareness of cooking and service.  To this day I think my dad is the only one that's come close to the actual essence of that sauce.  Me, well, I can't just follow a recipe so...

Our memories are so much associated with food and culture, and the places we've been.  I want to share with you all how important it is to take the time, eat together, listen to one another, and heighten your experience with food.

THE JOURNEY

After spending my time of service in the US Navy I enrolled in the Hotel and Restaurant management program at the University of Houston.  I thought about becoming a chef, though instead, I worked the next 15 years in the industry of all things wine.  This included wine management in restaurants, distribution wholesale, and supplier level management. 

At the time, cooking was only a fascinating hobby and interest.  While dining out at great places to eat I seemed to always have so much curiosity about working in a professional kitchen.  "I should be doing what they're doing".

For many reasons, the mentioned above being one of them, I finally took a huge life changing leap.  I dropped everything I was doing to attend culinary school at Seattle Central College.

My goals were to learn as much as I could, work with the best in our area, and eventually start Tempus.

I worked and trained at Tilth Restaurant (now Atoma), Canlis, Bateau, and Autumn.   I attribute so much love and respect for all of the these places.  A learning experience like no other.  The people and relationships have truly help mold me into who I am today and I'm forever grateful.