The Rye Roadhouse
12 High St, Rye
(914-925-2668; ryeroadhouse.com)
Favorite Guilty Pleasure Food…Oreo cheesecake.
Favorite Cuisine…Caribbean—the food from where I was born.
Culinary Hero…My former chef, Ed Leonard. He taught me all I need to know in this culinary world when I worked at Westchester Country Club right out of college.
Favorite Kitchen Utensil…KitchenAid mixer.
Last Book Read…The French Laundry Cookbook by Thomas Keller.
I Never Eat…beets. I had a bad experience as a kid.
Favorite Place to Dine Out…Ripe Kitchen & Bar, a Jamaican restaurant in Mount Vernon.
I Hate It When a Diner at My Restaurant…sends back a perfectly cooked burger.
What Diners Don’t Know But Should…That a gumbo is made with flour—it’s the main ingredient.
What Waiters Should Never Do…Try and rearrange my plate.
The Most I’ve Paid for a Meal…$300 at Craftbar in Manhattan.
My Favorite Website…FoodNetwork.com
Food Trend I Hate the Most…Inedible garnishes, like a sprig of thyme on top of a steak.
My Favorite Music Group Is…Boyz II Men.
My Favorite Movie Is…The Avengers. The Hulk is the best.
Most Famous Person I Ever Cooked For…Todd English in 2000 at The American Club in Kohler, Wisconsin.
If I Could Have a Meal with Anyone, it Would Be…Anthony Bourdain.