Aaron's first job in a professional kitchen was at age 14, at his hometown Beverley Arms Hotel. Moving to the cosmopolitan city of Birmingham in 2002 brought Aaron to The Edgbaston Golf Club, working with Chef/Owner Julian Tolbert, who noted the young cook’s potential and soon promoted him to sous-chef. Aaron’s next career move was to Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons, the renowned Chef Raymond Blanc’s two Michelin star Relais & Châteaux establishment in Oxford, England. It provided his first exposure to a disciplined and organized kitchen, “very similar to the kitchen at Restaurant DANIEL,” he now recalls. 

 

In 2004 Aaron became chef de partie at the Five-Star Deluxe Dubai Burj Al Arab Hotel’s renowned seafood restaurant Al Mahara, rated among Restaurant Magazine’s “World’s 50 Best”. His next stop in 2005 would be Washington DC’s French-Indian fusion restaurant, Indebleu. Two years later in 2007, Chef Antoine Westerman’s Café du Parc at DC’s Willard Intercontinental Hotel hired Aaron as sous-chef. Aaron embraced the rustic French cuisine and his first exposure to in-house charcuterie production.

In 2009 Aaron headed to New York City to be sous chef at Café Boulud, Chef Daniel Boulud’s Michelin starred restaurant. “My first impression was how young and enthusiastic the kitchen was – the attitude and work was inspirational, and it was an honor to be on Daniel Boulud’s team.” Promoted to Executive Sous Chef in September 2010, Aaron credits then Executive Chef Gavin Kaysen with honing his management skills and giving him the opportunity to create and develop his own recipes.

Two years later, Aaron opened Boulud Sud – Boulud's Mediterranean restaurant on Manhattan’s Upper West Side – as Chef de Cuisine. The restaurant received two stars from The New York Times, which said, “To the list of terrific Daniel Boulud restaurants in Manhattan, add this gesture toward the sea that laps at the South of France and Spain to its west, then stretches across to Africa and east to the Levant.” In Fall 2014 Aaron brought Boulud’s Bar Boulud concept to Boston at The Mandarin Oriental Hotel. 

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In 2016, Aaron teamed up with Chef Tony Maws, joining Craigie on Main’s kitchen as the Chef de Cuisine. Drawn to “off-the-beaten-path ingredients,” Aaron creatively constructed dishes using locally sourced produce, meats, and fish from the Boston area. While acclimating himself to Boston, Aaron formed relationships with local restaurateurs and began advising on kitchen management and local sourcing which led to him joining Not Your Average Joe's as VP, Culinary in 2017. At NYAJ, Aaron leads culinary innovation, menu development, execution and rollout across 20 restaurants within the casual-dining brand.