Chef Joe

At the age of 28, Joe moved to San Francisco to pursue his dream of becoming a chef. He started working as a pantry chef for the incredibly popular Garibaldi’s on Presidio in San Francisco. He worked in San Francisco for the next six years, holding the positions of Pastry Chef and an Executive Sous Chef for The Elite Café and a local favorite, the Gin Joint.

In 2001, Joe began working as the Executive Chef of the Bridge Café in lower Manhattan. After two years of running the busy kitchen, Joe opened a new restaurant in midtown Manhattan, as the consulting Executive Chef. From there, Joe accepted a job with Applewood, a locally owned restaurant in Brooklyn.

In late 2006, Joe and his family relocated to Denver, where he opened two popular restaurants, as Executive Chef of Alto and the Executive Sous Chef of Izakaya Den.

In late 2009, Joe returned to California’s Bay area, accepting the position of Executive Chef for Lifeworks. He recently tested his skills in a timed cooking competition, resulting in a first place finish in a Food Network Challenge.

Chef Joe supports local companies and farmers and enjoys participating in local fund raisers whenever possible. He is an accomplished butcher, and in his spare time develops his own blends of spice rubs and sauces, which he features on his own kitchen table and while catering for private parties.

Joe is currently working on his audition video for his third shot at Bravo’s “Top Chef”. Hopefully the third time will be a charm.