“Growing up in the Dominican Republic I always felt good in the kitchen. It was always my favorite place at home – everything happened around that room. It made me realize at a pretty young what my passion was and what I was meant to do. I went to culinary school to learn, and started working as a dishwasher to gain real experience. It was an investment into my future. I went from prep cook, to line cook, always learning the most I could about each station, each restaurant and each chef.”