Our Team

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Jim’s career has been focused on starting and building companies in a variety of industries. For 10 years, Jim was Executive Vice President and General Manager of Pebble Beach Ventures in Carmel, California. Pebble Beach Ventures was a venture capital and private equity firm that specialized in early stage investing in a diversified portfolio that included SanDisk, Catalina Marketing and Whole Foods Market.

Jim left Pebble Beach Ventures to start US Abalone. Along with a very talented team of biologists, Jim as CEO and CFO built US Abalone into one of the world’s largest growers of the seafood delicacy. US Abalone developed four acres on the California coast into a natural and sustainable facility with hundreds of tanks and over a million abalone. The company’s cultured pearl division, Pearls of Passion, became the world’s largest abalone pearl producer. 

In addition to his other responsibilities, Jim also directed the marketing and sales for US Abalone’s food products. His belief in prioritizing relationships created loyal long term customers. The company’s production was shipped worldwide, with Asia being the largest market. Jim also developed a variety of prepared abalone products that were sold in Whole Foods Market and Costco Wholesale.

After over 10 years in aquaculture, Jim spent 15 years in the restaurant business. He has owned and operated restaurants in Saint George, Utah and New Haven, Connecticut. His fondness for food and food products has been a common theme throughout his career. Jim always has pursued what triggers his passion and he encourages others to do the same. 

Jim’s undergraduate degree is from the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York. His M.B.A. is from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California. Although his academics were focused on business and finance, Jim credits his success to his work experiences and lessons learned from those he worked for and with at diverse companies.

Steve, also known as “Chef Roc,” has had an amazing career in the culinary world. He is a celebrity chef and entertainer with over 30 years of professional experience in the kitchen, and more than 20 years of exposure on both locally and nationally broadcasted television programs. Steve has written, performed and produced hundreds of television shows and videos that have been viewed on a variety of media platforms ranging from national networks to streaming channels such as Roku. He also has an impressive portfolio of podcasts.

Steve has extensive experience in food product development. He has created new products for some of the biggest international brands including Burger King, Pizza Hut, and Haagen Dazs. In recent years his focus has been on the artful combination of health supplements and food products.

Steve’s genuine enthusiasm for the food products that he selects has propelled his success in marketing and promoting hundreds of different products over the years. His commitment to natural foods and the highest quality suppliers is evident in the ingredients that he uses in his television shows and cooking demonstrations. Steve’s energy has made his nationwide tasting tours for food manufacturers entertaining for the customers and very rewarding for the clients.

Steve’s perspectives on food and life are one and the same – broadening horizons and experiencing new flavors. He seeks to share his message of enjoying great food and great times in any endeavor he undertakes, whether it is as executive chef at a renowned restaurant or host of his own television show.

Steve is a graduate of Johnson & Wales University with a degree in Culinary Arts and he was classically trained at the esteemed Le Petit de Cuisine in London and La Varenne in Paris. Steve also was the co-founder of the Clever Cleaver Brothers, a Duo of “stand-up chefs” that hosted a football season program called Tailgatin’ and frequently made appearances on the variety show circuit on programs such as

The Tonight Show, The View, and Entertainment Tonight.