How did you get started? As with many Chefs in the industry, I started washing dishes at a country club on Grosse Ile, MI. The Chef told me to help get him through the summer season, and he would make me a “prep-cook” - he kept true to his word. I remember rolling out thawed, pre-made pizza dough and spreading fake butter on it and dry herb mix as the first real kitchen prep job. Little did my parents know 17 years later I would be so passionate about what I do and running a successful restaurant in Metro Detroit. My mother and Father have been my biggest fans and supporters throughout my entire career; I love seeing the pride they have in me.
How long have you been at Toasted Oak/Hotel Baronette? I began in July of 2009. We moved right in and I was a part of the entire process of changing over the previous restaurant into Toasted Oak. I was here almost every day of the week maintaining banquets on the hotel end of the Baronette and developing menus for the opening of Toasted Oak. We took the entire hotel pretty much down to the studs on the inside and re-invented the entire concept of both the Hotel and the Restaurant. Being born and bred in Michigan, I was a good point of reference for the company to bring a Michigan “Up-North” feel to a modern boutique concept.
What do you love about charcuterie? Everything! Being a handcrafted art, it is so amazing to know that what I do every day in making curing meats, making sausages and smoking was a means of survival for our culture as humans. Before refrigeration, the survival of families meant you had to hunt, fish and grow for survival and find ways to keep your food fresh and someone figured that you can take a beautiful farm raised pig, pour some salt over it for a few days or months and hang it for a few more months and you have an aged ham. Alternatively, adding salt and sugar to vegetables to can and jam. As busy as we are, can you imagine having to milk a cow, grow vegetables, and preserve your own meat just to live day to day?
What do you love about weddings? Being a part of the biggest day in a bride and grooms life and the moment they will remember forever. Talk to anyone you know, what do you remember most about a wedding? The ceremony, the party, and the gathering. What do you talk about the most? Food. I love getting new ideas and presenting them to just the right bride and groom, however, I am not going to tell you about any ideas here! I have so much fun in the entire process and attribute this to a great team here at the Baronette, from the first point of contact in the sales team to me and the catering manager who see the actual event through to the end. I enjoy the entire development process of the big day; I remember how important it was for my beautiful wife Stephanie and I to be a part of the food and planning in our wedding, which is why she only trusted me to do it all!
Can you customize a menu for a rehearsal dinner or wedding, and if so to what extent? Any menu, any time, and to any extent. The hardest part of doing customized menus in today’s economy is trying to keep within a budget and still maintain the extraordinary means by which we craft the food. I am willing to try and prepare anything your heart desires in making it memorable for you and your guests.
Is there any food you cannot prepare? I have not met a food that does not like to be prepared by me! Cannot is not in my vocabulary, we will accommodate any request.
If you could star on a food-related show, which would it be and why? I would want Anthony Bordain’s job - travel, eat and learn the different cultures of food. I don’t really get into the “reality” cooking shows because I live it everyday.
What do you wish more couples would ask for in their menus? Something unique to a culture or something a family traditionally does for an event. I love a challenge and if I can place a personal touch on an event it means something they will remember. For my own wedding, I carved a giant pumpkin with our names and wedding date, lined it with a plastic bag and that was used to receive our cards. Everyone still talks about that one little touch. I remember last year a bride had given me her Grandmothers cream corn recipe that was the family staple for many years, we prepared it in cast iron skillets and placed it on each table “family style” to enhance the tradition.
Do you also help pair food with beer/wine? Yes, absolutely. We also have a well trained staff in Toasted Oak to help with this process. We offer a wide variety of beers and wine at Toasted Oak Grill and Market, though I am going to push the Michigan beers and wine on you!
What is something people would be surprised to know about you? I have a tattoo of a pig jumping into a meat grinder - that is how much I love charcuterie!
You can listen to the segment here.
