I was born and raised in Edmonton. Some of my earliest memories of exemplary service and hospitality stem from incredible family vacations and part-time jobs in the restaurant industry. It was these experiences that cultivated my lifelong passion for hospitality and love of travel.

I was able to translate my passion for hospitality into a career by furthering her education at NAIT and Royal Roads University. After completion of her degree in International Hotel Management, I relocated to England where I began my career at the five-star Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire.

Early in 2015, I moved to Ireland to work at the award-winning Gregans Castle Hotel as Restaurant Manager. This is where I developed a greater appreciation for food and the origin of ingredients.

Following my time in Europe, I returned home to Edmonton to continue my career in the developing food and beverage scene. Working as a manager at some of the latest downtown restaurants to emerge on the hyper-local scene in recent years, I brought exceptional leadership and experience to the (dinner) table, helping these new restaurants achieve success in the evolving Edmonton restaurant industry.

Now, I inspire the team at The Butternut Tree with my impressive knack for creating a memorable guest experience.

I grew up in St. Albert and spent my summers visiting family in New Brunswick. The memory of the butternut tree in my grandmother’s backyard is a powerful symbol of the wonderful ingredients growing all over the Canadian landscape, waiting to be rediscovered.

I haved cooked at Michelin-star restaurant Daniel in New York, the highly decorated Noma in Denmark, and Wildebeest in Vancouver. For the prestigious James Beard Foundation, I took part in the preparation a special foraged feast with Chef Eddy Leroux and forager Tama Matsuoka Wong.

With a love for Canada and its abundant bounty never far from my thoughts and heart, a return home was always in the cards. I returned to Vancouver where I founded and operated a foraging company with many fine restaurants relying on his ingredients.

Today, you can find me back in the prairies gearing up to open The Butternut Tree in the heart of Edmonton’s downtown core — a place that celebrates the art of gathering, in both fine company and ingredients.