Born in Chesapeake, Virginia, I moved with my family to Lafayette as an infant. Growing up in what was then a small neighborhood on the outskirts of town in the early 1990s, I watched the city build up around me into a vibrant and busy community. Not until leaving for East Texas for my high school years, did I realize how rich Lafayette was. We were and are the happiest city in the U.S. with more restaurants per capita business than anywhere else in the U.S.  Thus, post high school, I returned to Lafayette as a chef and later an author. I know that if there is anywhere I want to leave my mark on society, this is the city I want to do it in.