How long have you been with Heinen's?
I started on May 1, 2011. I’m one of those weirdoes who remembers numbers and dates exactly. It really comes in handy in my job.

Have you always been in the food production area?
Yes, I’ve been working in food service since I was 14 years old. I started as dish washer back then. I went to school for Chef and Restaurant Management at Medina County Career Center. Since then I’ve worked at some great places including Ken Stewart’s Lodge and the Bertram Inn in Aurora. And I worked in sales for my dad—he has a food service equipment company.

So you’re no stranger to the kitchen?
Not at all. I can go even further back. When I was seven or eight years old, my parents owned a little pizzeria and convenient store down in the Akron area. So I grew up in the business. I like to say, “I didn’t choose cooking; it chose me.”

So you cook at home?
Absolutely. I cook for my girlfriend—not that she can’t cook, but she defers to me on the cooking.

Name some ingredients we’d always find in your home kitchen?

• Fresh veggies and fruits—all sorts of different types.
• Garlic—always garlic.
• Dairy—I’m trying to eat more healthily, but there’s usually some ice cream.
• And sriracha! Oh my gosh! I am a sriracha fanatic.

So what does a sriracha fanatic do?
Here’s one of my latest tricks. Take a good vanilla ice cream and drizzle sriracha on it. You get the spicy, the sweet, the heat and the cold, all at once. Just try it. You will be amazed!

Do you have a favorite cuisine?
It used to be Italian, but now I’m really getting into Middle Eastern cuisine. The more I dive into it, the more I’m sucked in. The different spice blends, the way they cook with all fresh products—it’s such a healthy lifestyle. It’s very cool.