I began working in the restaurant industry in High school and at the time, I really had no plans on continuing along that career path. After graduation I headed to the University of Colorado at Boulder where I began to cook for my self and my roommates and really began to enjoy cooking for others. I graduated from college in 2005 and like many college grads had little to no idea what to do with my life. I moved to the mountains to be a ski bum while I found my way. Needing a job I found employment working for Vail Resorts, cooking for the masses at Two Elk Restaurant. After the season ended I found year round employment at the Sonnenalp Resort in Vail village. Next stop was Larkspur where I was fortunate enough to work with some very dedicated and talented people from whom I learned a great deal. After three years my wife and I moved to Hawaii to try my hand at living on the beach. In Hawaii I gained a new found respect for locally raised produce and livestock that for obvious reasons were more of a necessity than they were on the mainland. The constant sunshine did not take and after 6 months we moved back to Vail where I began work at Up The Creek becoming the Executive chef after five months.