In 1998, she matriculated at The French Culinary Institute, where she won first prize for her final project, "The Passionate Palate". Shortly after graduation, she worked on the set of PBS' "Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen" (1999) as a prep-kitchen chef, and as a private chef in New York City, which she did for three years. In addition, she managed a small catering business, "The Passionate Palate", which she continues to operate.