Chef made quick work of building an empire. Fort Oak, with its sophisticated menu and Mid-Century design, signaled a progression in his preferred cooking method. Cardellino, an Italian-American restaurant focused on handmade pasta and pizzas, opened in early 2020, and The Wise Ox, a butcher and sandwich shop in North Park, debuted in September of the same year.

While the successes are what inevitably make it into these biographies, this particular failure should not go unnoticed in this one. A boilermaker bar lasted a year, and upon folding, ignited what is perhaps his greatest invention. Rare Society, an homage to the infamous Vegas retro steakhouses that simultaneously highlights the distinct Central Coast cooking style so beloved by Chef, opened in late 2019. The reception was warm, and what he’s created is a neighborhood steakhouse that’s comfortable and unpretentious, elevated through the quality of the dishes and warm hospitality.

What’s next for our protagonist? His fully-fledged restaurant collective is full-steam ahead, and he’s committed to creating a new restaurant for the next generation of hospitality workers. With a belief in providing an honest wage and giving those who work for him the tools to provide for their families and build their own retirement, Chef hopes to redefine what working in this notoriously taxing environment can mean. And in the meantime, you can find him raising his two young daughters, Charlie and Georgie, with his wife, Kristen, and enjoying all the great things America’s Finest City has to offer.