Title: Creator of What's in the Pan
Location: New York City
Education: MBA in Finance, Zicklin School of Business, Baruch College, NY
Expertise:
- Turning real-life cooking tests into reader-friendly recipes
- Taking great food pictures
- Searing steaks, smoking big cuts of meat, and getting max flavor from high heat
- Backyard grilling and smoker recipes that don't require a restaurant setup
- Sky-high layer cakes, no-bake desserts, and "company's coming" sweets
- Fast weeknight dinners and salads that actually fill you up
- Elevated cocktails and mocktails to go with all the delicious meals I create
I started WhatsInThePan in 2016, and what began as a place to share foolproof recipes has grown into one of the most detailed libraries of grill and smoker recipes, high-heat protein cooking, pan techniques, and steak education you'll find on a food blog - plus a huge library of reliable weeknight recipes (creamy chicken and beef pastas, pork chops, and chicken dinners).
I'm a self-taught baker with over a decade of baking experience, and I love developing layer cakes and desserts that are structured, balanced, and actually turn out the way they should. You'll also find plenty of no-bake desserts and berry recipes that are simple but reliable.
I also moonlight as your home bartender on WhatsInThePan, shaking up fun, easy cocktails you'll actually want to make.
I hold an MBA in Finance from 2012 - which means I approach every recipe the way I'd approach a financial model: variables matter, inputs change outcomes, and you don't guess when you can measure.
What I Actually Cook - And Test
- Steak recipes and cut guides - from ribeyes to flat irons, with detailed explanations of USDA grading, marbling, reverse sear vs. direct sear, resting times, and what actually happens to protein under high heat.
- Pan-searing technique - especially cast iron, where temperature, dry surfaces, fat contact, and timing work together to create (or destroy) a crust.
- Pork chops across every method - grilled, creamy skillet pork chops, and Instant Pot versions, tested across different cuts so you know exactly how each behaves at high heat.
- An extensive library of chicken dishes - from skillet chicken dinners and baked chicken to marinades and high-heat chicken thigh recipes that lean on the same searing and resting principles I use for steak.
- Creamy chicken pasta and creamy shrimp pasta - rich, weeknight-friendly sauces that balance cream, stock, and cheese so they coat the pasta without breaking or turning heavy.
- Copycat pasta recipes - restaurant-inspired pastas recreated at home, tested to hit the same texture and flavor notes with simpler, clearer steps.
- No-bake desserts - a large collection of no-bake cheesecakes, bars, and layered desserts built around proper ratios, stabilizers, and chill times so they slice cleanly every time.
- Berry desserts - an extensive lineup of strawberry, blackberry, and blueberry recipes (from pancakes and sauces to cheesecakes and crumbles), developed with how each berry's water content and acidity affect the final texture.
- Baking techniques and layer cakes (in progress) - a growing project focused on triple-layer cakes and baking techniques, with an emphasis on structure, texture, and frosting ratios so the cakes slice as beautifully as they taste.
Every technique article on this site is written from direct, repeated testing in my own kitchen - not from paraphrasing other recipes. When I write that red wine vinegar tenderizes chicken protein differently than lemon juice alone, it's because I tested both and tasted the difference. When I explain why a boneless pork chop is not just a deboned loin chop, it's because I've cooked them side by side and measured what changes.
My Approach to Recipes
Precision is the foundation of everything here. I list exact temperatures, timing windows, and technique cues - not because cooking is rigid, but because understanding the variables is what makes you adaptable. My MBA trained me to find the formula underneath the chaos, and that's exactly what I do in a kitchen.
Every recipe comes with:
- Step-by-step photos at every stage that matters
- Troubleshooting sections for what actually goes wrong (and why)
- Technique explanations that answer why, not just what
- Substitution logic based on food science, not guesswork
Why This Site Exists
There's a lot of food content online that tells you what to do. Very little of it tells you why it works - and even less is written by someone who has spent years testing the same techniques across dozens of cuts, marinades, temperatures, and cooking surfaces.
That's the gap I fill. Whether you're trying to get a restaurant-quality crust on a weeknight steak, understand why your pork chop dried out, or recreate Greek street food on a cast iron grill pan in your apartment - the answer isn't just a recipe. It's understanding the technique-so you can adjust on the fly and still win dinner.
You can find me on on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest, or reach me at contactwhatsinthepan at gmail dot com.
For additional contact information, please click here.