Biggest personal influence in this industry: Every chef/manager I ever worked for. They taught me how not to do things, and made me strive to be a better chef and boss. Favorite kitchen tool: Buffalo chopper Favorite cookbook: Gourmet Cooking for Dummies Favorite cookie: Oatmeal Chocolate Chip (the first thing I learned to cook) Ideal job: I want to be Charlie Trotter Best ACAP experience so far: Learning how to make meat jell-o (a rich, gelatinous stock). Why ACAP? My whole life has been spent pursuing the dream of being a chef. I want to know how and why food reacts the way it does. I want to know the process that turns mere ingredients into something great. I could learn these things through years of experience, however, I want to jump into my professional life with both feet and start running. I want to learn to be a great chef from great chefs.