I was 24 years old, a student at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York and working at Manhattan's four-star Le Cirque restaurant. During this time I began to feel my energy fade and lost 25 pounds. I thought it was because I worked 14-hour days. The last thing I ever imagined was that I was seriously ill. To the outside world I was the picture of health but inside, with a blood glucose level of 300, I was in grave danger. I was diagnosed with Type I diabetes and I knew I had to make some serious lifestyle choices.

Like so many others what it came down to was achieving a healthy lifestyle through insulin management, exercise and proper diet.

For so many people being told to go on a restrictive diet is like being told they can never again eat food they enjoy or eat a regular meal with their family

In my workshops and cooking classes, I educate people on how to cook healthy meals full of flavor. I am personally committed to sharing my professional experience as a chef and my personal experience as a son, brother, husband and father with all people who have a need or desire to eat healthy.