On a recommendation from master chef and mentor Jacques Pepin, Michael packed his bags and moved to California to work for celebrity chef Traci Des Jardins at Jardiniere, one of San Francisco's best known restaurants.  While there he spent his days off quietly donating his time in the background at La Follie, also one of the city's finest.

His next move brought him to Carmel Valley, where he got his first tatse of hotel creation.  On the project team at Bernardus Lodge working for Chef Cal Stamenov, Michael quickly found a passion for hotel devlopment.

His next move brought him to Santa Barabara where he consulted on another hotel project, Bacara Resort and Spa.  He then joined up with actor Kevin Costner on a restaurant project called Epiphany.