I Wanted So Badly To Be Straight

I Am Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro In Africa This Summer As A Personal Physical Goal For Myself, But Also As A Way To Bring On Sponsors And Raise Awareness And Funds To Help Benefit The Programs And Initiatives Of Chefs For Humanity.

I Think People Are More Savvy About Cooking, Food And Dining. I Notice They Are Looking For More Value For Their Money - Not In Larger Portions But More In Terms Of Healthier, Fresh, Farm-to-table Dishes With A Nice Presentation.

I Add A Lot Of Citrus To My Food And I Think That Flavors It. And, To Me, That What Makes It Healthier, Lower In Fat, Lower In Calories. It Adds Lots Of Flavor. Spices, Of Course. But Citrus Is Definitely Kind Of My Go-to To Season And Really To Really Make Those Flavors, Make That Food Come Alive.

When I Was Growing Up In Mississippi - It Was Good Southern Food... But I Also Grew Up With A Greek Family; When Other Kids Were Eating Fried Okra, We Were Eating Steamed Artichokes. So I Think It Played A Big Part In My Healthy Cooking.

My Humanitarian Work Evolved From Being With My Family. My Mom, My Dad, They Really Set A Great Example For Giving Back. My Mom Was A Nurse, My Dad Was A School Teacher. But My Mom Did A Lot Of Things For Geriatrics And Elderly People. She Would Do Home Visits For Free.