It's safe to say that I've nearly lived, eaten, and breathed through food for most of my life. I have fond memories of helping my mom bake coffee cakes and bread as a kid. I started my humble beginnings in the food industry by working at McDonald's and eventually worked my way up to being part of the team that opened Johnny Morris' (Owner of Bass Pro & Cabela’s) Top of the Rock restaurants. However, one of my greatest memories and accomplishments in my younger years was interning at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. If you ever have the chance, I highly recommend going there; Chef Adam Thomas really knows how to do pastries right!

If you've made it this far, you've probably already read quite a bit, so I'll keep this short and sweet. Food has always been a driving force in my life. I love it in a social setting, I studied it as one of my degrees in college, and it's a favorite pastime I enjoy with others. I worked as a professional Chef for about 8 years, and having worked my way from fast food up to fine dining, my final stint as a chef before changing lanes was at Metropolitan Farmer, where I was a Sous Chef under Chef Wes Johnson. There, creativity was cultivated, and with a nearly 100% farm-to-fork approach, we were constantly challenged to come up with new ideas and ways of cooking. Having that open canvas environment and mentorship really opened up life for me."

These changes are mostly stylistic and aim to enhance readability. Your narrative flows smoothly, and your passion for food and your culinary journey are conveyed effectively.

Here is what you need to know:

I am all about capturing candid moments of the world around us, finding and highlighting what comes natural, and keeping it authentic and genuine. So come as you are and we’ll create something special.

I prefer to work in natural light when possible and use the elements around me for unique edits.

Professionalism is important, but on my shoots I want you to be comfortable, laugh, and enjoy the experience. Not confident in house to plate and style of product? No problem, take a deep breath and lets get creative. Have an idea for your brand or company but need someone to bring it to life? Lets talk. A good photo will boost anyone’s confidence, will make a lasting impression, and capture the vision and voice of a companies product.

I am here to capture a moment that is right for you and I understand that it’s different for everyone. I am not your conventional photographer and am willing to go the extra mile!

Travel is my passion and I am flexible enough to travel to whatever mountain top, concrete jungle, ocean front, forest, or desert plains your heart desires. Lets connect and brain storm an epic adventure shoot!

Right before I was about to graduate college with my Culinary & Business degrees in hand, a cloud came over me one day and the idea to travel seemed to rain in. Long story short the following weekend I found a ticket to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for 4 1/2 months and the rest is history. While I was in South East Asia I found that every new area and country I went to, Food came first, a place to sleep second, and everything else didn’t really matter. I found my self eating 6-10 meals a day and while eating one meal I researching the next! Luckily there was a lot of walking involved to burn off all those calories. ( I literally walked 2 hours for some pandan donuts one time) It took about 10 countries before I really started to realize that food was huge part of my life but in a different way then what I intended it to be. I always thought I wanted to be the Chef in his whites, married to his restaurant and would die on the line. Instead a travel bug bit me hard and fast, and this thing we call wanderlust is not waring off anytime soon. Fast forward to present day, 3 years worth of time spent in South East Asia, and man am I still in love with it’s food and culture. The flavors of South East Asia are unmatched and so unique!

So much so, that I decided to take my talents in food, travel, and photography and create a company. It’s something that fulfils my travel and food needs but I also get to do something that is so special to me, and that is to share it with you guys! I love the idea of being able to bridge that gap between Asia and the US through food and travel. Whether that’s stalking down the weekly night market for a local delicacy, meeting up with locals and experiencing how they do life, or us taking our first dive into the ocean to swim with the manta rays off the coast of Bali. All of it is awesome. I know that language barriers and culture can be intimidating, new experiences are definitely intimidating, and new food, flavors, and textures are right up there with the rest. That’s where I come in and that’s where my passion lives, in food and in influence. I am so pumped you’re reading this right now and considering doing a food tour with Whereintheworldismaalek. Life begins at the end of your comfort zone and Asia for a lot, is pretty far out there, so let me help you on the first step out and lets make memories of a life time eating new yet incredible food, experience new culture, meeting new people, and supporting communities that have so much to offer! Go check out our tours and lets take the first step out together!