Jeff earned his culinary degree at Renton Vocational Technical Institute (now Renton Technical College) over 20 years ago.  His varied career has taken him from Las Vegas, working as chef and F&B director at the Legacy Golf Club, to the Kitsap peninsula as chef/inn keeper at a waterfront country inn where he was named Kitsap County Innkeeper of the Year.  Jeff has worked as chef at an upscale neighborhood restaurant in Seattle and as corporate chef for a regional retirement housing provider.

With his wife Dorée, Jeff traveled to rural South Carolina reopening a historic 1880’s railroad hotel as a country inn and restaurant.  In addition to operating the inn, restaurant & pub, Jeff served as a volunteer fire fighter in the small southern town of McCormick.

Fate has once again returned Jeff to his native Pacific Northwest where he works at Tacoma Goodwill as chef of the Neighborhood Bistro and program manager for the Culinary Skills Training Program.  Jeff splits his time between cooking and teaching while managing this hands-on entry level job training program for adults with disabilities or barriers to employment.  He also acts as working chef for the Neighborhood Bistro’s busy catering business.

Jeff has been a WSCA member since 2009. As a board member for the Washington State Chefs Association, Jeff serves as chairman of the Apprenticeship Committee and is active in the re-launching of the chapter’s Culinary Apprenticeship Program.  He volunteers for the Red Cross as a Disaster Kitchen response worker.

In 5 years I would like to:

achieve ACF certification (its only taken 20 years so far…), see the chapters apprenticeship program prosper and travel to experience foods of other parts of the world.

What the ACF means to me:

The ACF allows us all the opportunity to be involved in our profession and in our community. I enjoy the chance to help others advance in their careers and in the process increase my knowledge.