Interior designer demo at the Miele Center, San Francisco. Photo courtesy Chasen West and Modenus.
My cooking life was born during the 1980’s American food revolution.
The culinary journey began in New York City when I was one of the opening line cooks at Chef Larry Forgione’s boutique restaurant, An American Place. With regulars in the dining room such as James Beard and Julia Child, Chef Forgione pioneered a new way of bringing interesting ingredients from around the country to their tables.
When the "California Cuisine" wave hit New York, I was curious to know more. I moved to San Francisco and landed a lead line cook job at the famed Campton Place Hotel restaurant. Two years later, with a little help from Alice Waters of Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley, I accepted an offer at a small cooking school in Provence in the south of France. My original plan to go abroad for six or eight months evolved into a five-year culinary sojourn, mostly in Italy, at Michelin-starred restaurants, high-end food stores, and private yachts. The pride and tradition that is central to the Mediterranean food cultures completely changed my approach to cooking.
In the galley of the classic saiing yacht Sunshine. Photo courtesy Paul Moore.
I returned to the San Francisco Bay Area as a chef in many notable fine dining restaurants where I was able to apply a Mediterranean style of cooking to the menus. A decade later, I took on a different opportunity as the first culinary director at a newly-formed multi-media food and lifestyle company. In this role, I developed, produced, and promoted content for cookbooks, television series, products, catalogs, and consumer events.
The growing interest in food and cooking in tandem with innovative and clever new ways to share stories inspired me to establish VOLOCHEF®. Fortified by vast experience, my services bring value to development, production, and marketing projects in this exciting category.
With VOLOCHEF® the creation of a recipe can lead to a broad range of visibility.
On the set of Heart & Soul celebrating my 100th show with Chef Jacques Pépin. Photo courtesy Wendy Goodfriend/KQED.
I have been the culinary producer on over 250 cooking shows with such respected hosts as Chef Jacques Pépin, Chef José Andrés, and Dorothy Hamilton. I also appeared on the Food Network’s Iron Chef America. Additionally, I have developed recipes, products, and menus for public relations and marketing agencies, production companies, restaurant operators, food product companies, authors, and even a premium cruise line.
Sometimes the doors of opportunity come when least expected. While doing a food styling assignment for Frances Mayes, author of Under The Tuscan Sun, I was introduced to her editor, Charlie Conrad, who would eventually become mine.
In 2007, my culinary travel memoir, Mediterranean Summer was published by Broadway Books.
Hailed by Janet Maslin of the New York Times as a "book-sized vacation," Mediterrranean Summer takes place on board the private Italian sailing yacht I cooked on when I was abroad. As told from the galley, the story illuminates a fascinating lifestyle at sea surrounded by glorious backdrops, colorful characters, and mouthwatering food. To learn more and to purchase a signed paperback copy, please visit the Mediterranean Summer® website.
Years later, I am again cooking at sea. As one of the chef-instructors at the Oceania Cruises The Culinary Center on the luxurious ships Marina and Riviera, my time on board includes fantastic culinary excursions on shore throughout the Mediterranean. In addition to sharing my exuberance for this wonderful palette of cuisines in a glorious environment, it is also a perfect opportunity to thread history and culture with enrichment.
The Mediterranean Summer paperback.
Viareggio Style Halibut.
A lot happens in the kitchen.
The newest service in my offering, Home Kitchen Planning, is a result of my understanding of what is truly a "chef's kitchen." With a background in set and lighting design, years of experience as a fine dining chef, and hundreds of shows as a television culinary producer, my emphasis on the practical is a great foundation for the many details in creating and building a home kitchen. During this vital part of the process before the plans are drawn, I share knowledge and insight for what is perhaps the most visible and functional room in the home.
At the core, it's all about sharing.
My motto is tell a story through food. Keep it simple, get closer to the audience, and be authentic. With these values I remain poised to help my customers reach this goal.
HOME KITCHEN PLANNING
RECIPE DEVELOPMENT
FOOD PRODUCT INNOVATION
CULINARY PRODUCTION
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
VOLOCHEF is a registered service mark in the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Copyright 2024. All rights reserved.
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