Ryan’s first cooking memory is making fig jam with his grandma using the figs from the tree in the backyard. To this day, those early cooking memories and smells play a large part in his cooking. Growing up with a passion for food, some of his first jobs were cooking at local restaurants, including Ralph’s on the Park and Dante’s Kitchen.

Wanting to see a bit more, he moved to New York and began working for Daniel Humm at the Nomad Hotel. He was then part of the opening team at Batard, working for Markus Glocker. Batard went on to win numerous accolades, including James Beard’s Best New Restaurant in America, a 3 star review from the New York Times, and a Michelin star. There Ryan worked his way up to Exec Sous Chef, really learning what it meant to be a chef.

After receiving an unbelievable offer to open the first high end New Orleans Brasserie in Paris, he spent a little over a year producing dynamic dishes inspired by New Orleans but using French products.

Returning to NYC, Ryan began working as a sous chef at Daniel Boulud’s flagship restaurant Daniel. Over the next 3 years, he had the opportunity to refine his skills and hone his palate working with the best ingredients in the world.

Now Ryan is extremely grateful to be back in New Orleans and show where he’s been with where he’s from: highlighting the ingredients of Louisiana in a thoughtful way and paying tribute to the state’s amazing bounty of ingredients.