My culinary journey began at the young age of 15 when I got my first job at my hometown's local pizza joint. It was shortly after that I decided I wanted to pursue a career as a chef. After high school, I attended culinary school at the MCC Institute for the Culinary Arts in Omaha, Nebraska and graduated with an associate's degree. There, I was taught the skills I needed to succeed as a chef and truly fell in love with food. 

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After culinary school, I moved back to Homer, Alaska and began fine-tuning my skills by working in a few local restaurants. After 8 years of dedication, hard work, and guidance from my family and my mentor, Idalia Frazier, I knew I was ready to venture off on my own. 

 

From there, I have centered my life around food, traveling the world and growing as a chef. In February 2018, I started The Tickled Pear, bought a food trailer, and opened on the Homer Spit in May of that same year. In 2019, I started offering year-round special event catering and private chef services. In 2023, I upgraded to a restaurant on Beluga Lake.