Chris grew up in rural upstate New York. Ask him about his culinary roots and he may tell you memories of underseasoned pot roast, overcooked pasta, and baked beans from a can… But he will also tell you about the road trips he took with his mother to nearby states where they would visit restaurants and his eyes were opened to other ways of eating. He remembers his first tastes of lobster, vichyssoise, and other unfamiliar dishes expanding his idea of what food could be.

During his eight years of service in the Marine Corps, Chris lived in Southern California, Japan, and in countries in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, where he experienced vividly fresh ingredients, new spices and flavor combinations, and realized a deep love for chilis. 

Chris was always drawn to restaurants and started working in them when he was fifteen. After the Marine Corps, he attended culinary school at Paul Smith’s College, and honed in on the process of cooking: the care, attention, knowledge, and skill that it takes to do the best thing with the ingredients at hand to make most delicious outcome possible. 

At Brazen, these influences come together in a commitment to quality ingredients and utmost care to process and technique. Chris believes that when people understand and appreciate real food and what it takes to have it, the world is a better place.