When describing Chef Keaton – the first word that comes to mind is - passionate. Keaton is passionate about food, cooking, eating, and everything related to the culinary field. As a young boy Keaton spent time in the kitchen observing his mother and grandmother as they created meals for the family. By the age of six, he too was stirring, whipping, and mashing foods to help prepare flavorful dishes. Because of the simplicity of the food, the dishes Keaton came to enjoy preparing and eating the most were Italian staples like marinara sauce, lasagna, and raviolis.

As Keaton matured into a teenager so too did his culinary knowledge and skills. He spent all of his free time creating new recipes, reading cookbooks, watching the Food Network, shopping for new spices, and trying new restaurants. One of the restaurants Keaton frequented most was Da Domenico, a family owned Italian Ristorante in his hometown of Vienna, VA. At Da Domenico, Keaton fell in love with the food, the music, and the people — the full ‘Italian Experience'.

By the time Keaton reached high school, his passion for the culinary arts was apparent to everyone he met. Coupled with discipline and skill, Keaton earned a spot in Fairfax County Public Schools’ Chantilly Vocational Culinary Academy. It was there that he won the award for 'Most Outstanding Student of the Year' in his hotel management class. After school and on the weekends, he interned for three years at Da Domenico under the tutelage of Executive Chef Ly, where he learned how to work the line, make stocks, soups, and sauces. He also interned at the Palm Restaurant and Steak House in McLean, Virginia. In addition, Keaton attended short term culinary courses at schools around the world including Le Cordon Bleu in Paris.

After graduating from high school, Keaton attended the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, NY where he learned the techniques behind cooking methods, how to build flavors, and the foundations of American, Asian, Italian, and other ethnic cuisines. As part of his studies at the CIA, Keaton also interned at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, NV in Michael Mina’s Restaurant — Aqua. These experiences made Keaton a more technically proficient chef by enabling him to improve his knife skills. It also taught him that one need not sacrifice creativity for volume. In addition to interning at Bellagio, Chef Keaton also interned at the Italian restaurant Maestro at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Tysons Corner, VA under the tutelage of Chef Fabio Trabocchi.

Once he finished his academic course studies at the CIA, Keaton decided to continue pursuing his mastery of Italian Cuisine. He received a recommendation from his instructor Chef Coyac, to attend a master’s program at the School of Italian Regional Cuisine in Jesi, Italy. During his time in Italy he learned how to prepare regional pasta dishes from chefs throughout Italy including Bologna, Campagnia, Marche and Sicily. Ultimately he decided to focus his skills on the cuisines of Bologna – the Mecca of Italian Food.

Having received his Masters Degree, Chef Keaton left Italy to return home and begin working as a personal chef for various clients including business professionals, professional athletes, and “real foodies.” Drawing from his plethora of experiences, Chef Keaton realized the need to develop and offer high end Italian prepared foods to Americans. From the outgrowth of his passion, Cucina39 was created.