Chef in Westport, Connecticut

As a hospitality and entertainment professional with a proven 17 year career, I have accumulated experience in almost every position in both the front and back of house. I recently left the restaurant world, where I acted as Executive Pastry Chef to multiple time James Beard nominated Chef Bill Taibe for the last four years. I’m skilled and interested in far more than “just desserts” so I am exploring other opportunities. Before becoming a Chef, I graduated with honors from Northwestern University. While auditioning for musical theater roles, I naturally ended up in the restaurant industry and enjoyed it so much that I abandoned my acting career. Starting first as a host, leading to serving, bartending, managing, event planning, I eventually enrolled into The French Culinary Institute, from which I graduated at the top of my class. There is common thread of what I bring to each challenge: Exceptional interpersonal skills, on your toes problem solving, attention to detail, work ethic, and unparalleled creativity. While working for Chef Taibe, I was responsible for all operations of the pastry program for four high volume and critically acclaimed restaurants. I planned and directed all aspects of each menu, all with between four and six unique dishes, and all continuously evolving seasonally; from conception and development, to sourcing and implementation. This encompassed training of staff at each location, and oversight of their execution during service. Also, making sure all products and stations met artistic and Department of Health standards, while maintaining efficiently. Not only the production of all confections (handmade cakes, candies, cookies, custards, jams, ice creams, sauces...), but also inventory, and delivery were all amongst my daily activities. I was also granted the privilege of mentoring several interns over my tenure. Westport is a very affluent and metropolitan community, the majority of which commute to Manhattan, and demand the same quality in their home town. The menu had to live up to extremely high guest expectations by monitoring comments made by diners, speaking to Front of House members for feedback from clients as well as from a service standpoint, and keeping track of online reviews. Keeping track of inventory, ordering, and tracking cost also fell under my duties; it was necessary to keep track of the ever fluctuating prices of the goods brought in, and what price points we were selling them at, while also paying attention to ordering trends to insure freshness. It was necessary to pay attention to special needs of clients specifically concerning dietary restrictions the maximize sales and efficiency; e.g. having gluten free, dairy free, nut free, and vegan options so that all clients would have the opportunity to order, without adding the stress of special requests to the kitchen. Our guests safety was paramount; Educating the staff at daily meetings, keeping detailed allergy guides updated and accessible at all times and being a liaison for both language barriers and education gaps was essential. I bring an unusual and beneficial skill set to the table; practical, methodical, scientific training, paired with an outside the box, exploratory way of thinking and an artist soul. Thank you for your time and consideration.