How did you get started in the restaurant business?

My first restaurant job was as a Bob’s Big Boy prep cook when I was 15. Many years later I worked for Gordon Biersch in the San Francisco Bay Area, where I met my current partners. Together we created The Black Crow and today we’re doing better than we ever dreamed.

Describe your professional philosophy:

Give customers what they want. They’re hungry! We can’t always be innovative, but we can give them quality, value, and freshness.

Who is your most valuable advisor–personal and/or professional?

My wife, Leslie. We met on our first day at the Culinary Institute. I tried to ditch her for the first three months. I wanted to take school seriously.

What is your personal favorite entreé?

My current favorite is rare, pepper-seared Ahi tuna. with stir-fried rice and a little garlic salt.

What’s your favorite cook book?

Any of the Chez Panisse cookbooks from Alice Waters and Paul Bartoli. They provide me with the greatest inspiration. The recipes are always of-the-times.

Sum up your life’s philosophy for us in one sentence:

One only becomes real at the point of action.