Our cuisine is Eclectic with Southern influence~

I began my career as a fireman in 1994. Spending a third of my life at the firehouse serving the community of Duuuval for 25 years. This is where I would hon my skills of cooking, because everyone, regardless of whether you could cook or not, would take turns in the rotation of becoming the ‘Chef du jour.’ Soon, I would be made the permanent chef because my cooking far surpassed the others, Lol. It was the fire station where I acquired a joy for cooking. However, the introduction of the Food Network in 1995 would enlighten my curiosity and set me on a trail to pursue a culinary education. So, in 1997, I began culinary school at FCCJ, now called FSCJ.

I lived, ate and breathed food, as I collected cookbooks, cooking magazines, and binge watched every cooking show imaginable. In 1998, I did my internship at Ragtime Tavern in Atlantic Beach. In 1999, I would land my first line/prep cook job at the Grill, now called Salt at the Ritz-Carlton Amelia Island under the tutelage of Chef Kenny Gilbert, a protégé of Chef Matthew Medure. As a result of my hard work, commitment and dedication to improving my craft, Chef Kenny would ask me to join his team of chefs to take part in his prestigious nomination for the James Beard award dinner in NYC. It was an honor and a privilege to be a part of such a fabulous menu Chef Kenny put together for the guest attending the award dinner. After visiting the Mecca of the culinary world, this sealed my decision to make cooking a career during my span as a fireman and after I retired. After my time at the Ritz-Carlton, I worked some extravagant catering events and would work in some of the most exceptional kitchens in Jacksonville and surrounding areas like Ponte Vedra Beach Sawgrass. I’m a chef, who is educated and self-taught with battle scars from hard work.

Finally, I retired from the fire department in October 2019. I took a sabbatical for the first time in 41 years, with my last 3 years before retiring, working overtime, undertime, anytime to provide for a family of 8. All while my incredible wife was taking on the very difficult task of balancing life as a homemaker. After a 3 1/2-month sabbatical, I went back to work in February 2020 as a line/prep cook at the Marriott Sawgrass Cabana Beach Club and at the same time, I was approved to sell my desserts at the Riverside open-air market. Sadly, Covid-19 would change the lives of the entire world. March 23, 2020, the pandemic would shut down the entire hotel and I would never sell a single dessert at the open-air market after spending thousands of dollars. However, I never lost sight of my dream and aspiration of owning my own restaurant. Which brings us to this present day in 2025 of making this dream come true.