I didn't think that I wanted to be a chef, but I loved cooking ever since I was seven years old. At the age of twenty-eight, I watched my sixty year old father graduate from college and walk in his graduation ceremony in his cap and gown. When I saw this, I decided then that I wanted to go back to school and I went through the catalog and saw that Linn Benton Community College had a culinary arts program. I didn't think I would get so hooked on cooking but I did the moment I took my first class. I love it, and I still love it to this day and won't stop learning something new every time I step into a kitchen.
I took second place in a cooking competition called Copper Chef where we were given two hours to come up with an appetizer and a main dish. I came up with three different dishes at instead of two and tried to think outside the box. I came close to winning the competition, but that was okay. I just did it for fun.
I am going to be placing membership with the Personal Chef Network within the next couple of weeks.
2 Years
I trained at Linn Benton Community College, worked as a short order cook at a diner, I've done catering and private dinner parties, I currently cook at Arco Arena and am going into becoming a Personal Chef.
My cooking style isn't set to a certain country. It's just my own personal style. Very contemporary, very outside the box, and very....me.
I am a large fan of Bobby Flay because of his bold take on American flavors and I like that. Another influence was my Grandpa because he would smoke his own meats, brine his own hams(I have his brining gun) and he and my grandma would grow their own vegetables and butcher their own meat while my dad was being raised on the farm and that really inspired me to want to cook with great ingredients.
AD:August Chef of the Month: Chef Dave Beeckmans - Executive head chef - Antwerp, Belgium, Europe, CA
