Since I was a child, I enjoyed cooking. After spending a lot of time watching my mother cook, and then my chef cousin Patrick, I started cooking on my own, creating my own delicious dishes. Never using a recipe, I took my cooking skills to the FDNY. From there, I decided to enter cooking competitions. In 2009, being the clear underdog, I won a competition live on the Rachael Ray show against 4 of the city’s top chefs. I appeared on the Rachael Ray show a 2nd time, as well as “Chopped” & “The Chew”. I also cook for many FDNY charity events including the BBQ for the Bravest every October, in which all money donated goes to build smart homes for soldiers with disabilities. My Staten Island famous Bacon Jalapeño Mac & Cheese is the talk of the event.
For more info on the Siller Foundastion and Bravest BBQ - Click Here
Watch me on “Chopped” Season 18, Episode 6 by Clicking Here
Tribute to a Great One
When I first started my FDNY cooking career, I met Firefighter Keith Young at my first competition. Keith was a pro, but very humble. A great guy. He wrote a published cookbook called “The Firehouse Chef”. It was an honor to win my first competition against him live on Rachael Ray in 2009. The first of many competitions we competed in together. In March or 2018, Keith succumbed to 9/11 related illnesses, including cancer. His daughter Kaley had come to me while he was sick to ask me advice on Shark Tank. She later went on the show with her siblings to pitch her father’s revolutionary cutting board to the sharks and cut a deal with all 5 sharks. Keith’s legacy lives on through his kids and his invention.
You can purchase the his amazing Cup Board Pro by Clicking Here.