I am climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa this Summer as a personal physical goal for myself, but also as a way to bring on sponsors and raise awareness and funds to help benefit the programs and initiatives of Chefs for Humanity.

I'm gay, and I was born this way.

A mother's ability to provide for her children is not always tied to income, but rather to education.

Following the devastating India Ocean tsunami of 2004, I founded Chefs for Humanity, modeled after Doctors Without Borders, but comprised of chefs. There wasn't anything out there like it, and there was a definite need for chefs to be able to offer assistance and aid to those suffering from hunger and/or malnutrition worldwide.

To me, money is the ability to create lifelong experiences for my family and myself, to educate my children and a way to give back to humanity.

No one knew I was gay growing up but I was bullied. I was a cheerleader, fairly popular and considered straight.

I think about food all the time. It's my passion; it's my profession. But some people think about food all the time because they're hungry. We can put an end to this if we join forces and lend a hand.