My Story

I was born in Karachi, Pakistan to a Mexican father and an American mother. We moved to Hong Kong when I was 3 and then, finally, to Connecticut when I was 7. After attending elementary and middle school there, I spent my high school years at Northfield Mount Hermon - a college preparatory boarding school in Western Massachusetts.

Having worked in kitchens all through high school I developed a passion for food. This led me to the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY to pursue a degree in Culinary Arts. I then completed my education with a Bachelors of Science in Hospitality Administration at Boston University where I graduated Summa Cum Laude in 2011.

I spent five years working for Hyatt Hotels in Boston, Denver, and Maui before finding my way to Alaska, where I managed restaurant operations for the 49th State Brewing Company. After meeting the woman who would become my wife, we moved back to Colorado to set down roots.

Once Covid hit in 2020 and completely upended the restaurant industry, I decided it was time for a change. Having always had a passion for computers, and data in particular, I decided to attend a bootcamp for Data Analytics & Visualization through the University of Denver. After successfully completing that program I started working with Top Notch QA as a Quality Assurance Engineer.

Since then my wife, Kaitlyn, and I have had a son - Ryker Allen, and settled in a house in Mead, Colorado where we have three cats and spend most of our days gardening, cooking, and enjoying time together as a family.