For most of my working life I was in food service. Initially I was Catering Manager for Hugh Hefner after attending the Culinary Institute. After that, with partners, I opened a restaurant and a Bakery. Then in the late seventies I began working for a top Chicago caterer, where I stayed until 1993 and left as Vice President of the firm. In 1993 I enrolled at Arizona State University as and undergraduate. In 1999 I received a Bachelor Degree in Fine Art and in 2002 earned a Masters in Fine Art Degree.