Steve was born and raised in Vero Beach where, while attending Vero Beach High School, he worked at several local restaurants, starting as a bus boy at the Black Pearl and later at Ocean Grill. Moving on to Tango’s, he caught the eye of the restaurant’s owner and chef soon assuming the position of sous chef. While pursuing a culinary degree at Johnson and Wales University’s Charleston, South Carolina, campus, he interned at the Charleston Place Hotel in their award-winning Charleston Grill. Returning to Vero Beach following graduation, he worked at The Moorings Club and then at Orchid Island Golf and Beach Club. His first executive chef position was at Verandah in Ft. Myers, where he worked until he became executive chef at Sea Oaks in 2009.