Please meet a very special person--Chef Matthew Ries. We met this weekend after 9 years--This is the man who opened all the doors for me. I was a young girl with a passion for food, but no direction. He was the banquet chef at The Russian Tea Room and he took me under his wing. I worked for him while going to school, and he helped me get into the Culinary Institute of America.

After many years, Chef Matthew is still in contact with me and guides me with whatever I need...for that and much more, I will be eternally grateful. Chef Matthew Ries is now a sales associate at culinaire specialty foods located in Miami, Florida. He is currently working on opening his own restaurant on Long Island, NY.