​      I'm from Middletown, a small city in Ohio. I'm the youngest of three children, as well as a twin and my family is a big part of my life and strong support system for me.

     As a graduate from The Ohio State University in 2004, with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology, I started my career in early childhood education. My interest in food began early in my adult life at the age of 24. My grandmother, Cynthia Gates and father, the late Roger Troutman inspired me to pursue my true passion for the culinary arts. I began my studies at Bradford Cuilinary School in Columbus, Ohio then started working at Sidebar 410 in Dayton, Ohio where I was able to experiment and develop my culinary skills in the kitchen. 

     After Sidebar closed, I helped open Salar Restaurant and Lounge as the Sous Chef with Chef/Owner Margot Blondet in the Historic Oregon District in Dayton. At Salar, I refined my skills set by experimenting with flavors and became well versed with vegeterian and vegan cuisine.

    I am a private chef, that caters events such as private dinner parties, festivals, charity events, cooking demos and weddings.
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   The best aspect of being a chef has to be the hard work and creative process of developing the flavors and components for a meal, and seeing the enjoyment in people's eyes as they taste the food that I've brought to life for them.
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