I was born in the Philippines and raised in Southern California. I’ll have to admit that while growing up I didn’t have a lot of exposure to the kitchen but I had the luxury of eating freshly made dinners everyday thanks to my mom. She always took the time to cook and have something ready when I came home from school. I don’t think I had my first frozen dinner until college! We had a mix of traditional Filipino recipes, Italian, and American-type dishes. In fact my favorite meal as a kid was spaghetti and meatballs.

So let’s fast-forward to my late 20’s. I wanted to embark on a solo trip to Europe. Since I was apprehensive about taking a trip by myself I figured that a culinary vacation in France would place me in a group setting and learn the ways of the locals by visiting open markets and dining away from the tourists. It turns out I had a fabulous time and caught the “foodie” bug after that trip. I spent the next few months obsessed with perfecting soufflés and re-creating the dishes I made in class. I was hooked watching the Food Network and any cooking show on TV. So as crazy as it sounds I quit my job as a portfolio analyst and moved to Manhattan to attend culinary school. Right away I signed up as a stagier (chef instructor assistant) at ICE which lasted for 3 years. All this while working full-time as a business analyst so I can survive Manhattan living. In 2005 I completed the professional series at the school and had the wonderful opportunity to work in restaurant kitchens such as Blue Hill at Stone Barns (Tarrytown, NY) and Annisa (Manhattan, NY). Today I live in the town of Centerport, Long Island with my husband David and son Hartley.

I chose to be a Personal Chef because I enjoy meeting people in my community and the creativity aspect of the work. I get to see first-hand that a client loved their meal and that brings great satisfaction. This is basically what I’m striving for, keeping the tradition of sitting down and enjoying great meals.