Tim was one of the very first chefs we hired. During his time here, he has become a mentor to colleagues, including Chef Brian, who says: “He's a great teacher who is very patient and passionate about cooking.”
We caught up with him to find out how he got started what he does when he’s not cooking.
Q: What’s your culinary background?
A: I had some hands-on experience, including a catering job with Chickaddee Catering in Westerly that I held before attending Johnson & Wales. While catering, I gained experience cooking for customers in some of the most elite areas and homes in New England. Once I even prepared the meal at an event for Jackie Kennedy on Fishers Island. After graduating from Johnson & Wales, I took a job with Blackstone Caterers before joining the team at Sweet Berry Farm.
Q: What is your role here at the farm?
A: I’m responsible for the cold food preparation, as well as cutting and preparing our cheese case. I occasionally travel with Michelle [Sweet Berry Farm’s co-owner] to learn how to make cheese. That’s really a lot of fun. We recently travelled to a farm in North Kingstown to lean the method used by a Vermont-based cheese maker.
Q: What type of cooking are you known for?
A: I love preparing comfort food, and my signature dishes are chicken salad, potato salad, and corn and black bean salad.
Q: Where do you find inspiration?
A: My parents were both artists by trade. I didn’t get that bug, but my mom was also a really good cook. I used to help prepare family holiday meals. I created hors d'oeuvres to serve at the cocktail parties we hosted for customers of our family business and I really enjoyed it. Funny enough, the potato salad we make here at the farm has become one of my signature dishes, and it was my mother’s recipe.
Q: What do you like to do outside of the kitchen?
A: I’m a mentor at the Metropolitan School in Providence for the past two years. It’s a trade school for kids who are trying to figure out what they want to be, and I mentor some of the students that want to go into the culinary field. Actually, a few of them will be attending Johnson & Wales next year.
I've also volunteered at the soup kitchen at St. Joseph’s Church in Newport for three years, where I still volunteer to prepare St. Patrick’s Day dinner every year.
Q: If you weren’t cooking, what else could you picture doing for work?
A: Customizing cars. I almost went to school for that, because I like working with my hands.
Be sure to bring your appetite when you visit our farm market and café. We offer a wide range of homemade comfort food from chicken salad to creamy macaroni & cheese to buttery chocolate chip cookies. Our chefs make nearly everything from scratch and incorporate fresh, farm-grown ingredients whenever possible.