Chef Joe Simone

A graduate of Brown University with a degree in mathematics, Simone learned to cook in France, Greece and Italy, where he's traveled extensively. He picked up a love of Mexican cuisine while he was working as a personal chef in San Francisco.

Before becoming a personal chef, he was a featured chef on the PBS series "The Chefs of Cucina Amore," where he cooked up Italian specialties with fellow foodies Faith Wallinger, Nick Malgeiri and Nancy Harmon Jenkins. Hosted by Vincent Schiavelli, the series ran for a year and a companion cookbook of the same name was published in 1999. He was also the executive chef at Tosca in Hingham, and he's worked at Al Forno in Providence and the Papa-Razzi franchise. He said he developed an interest in serving breakfast and lunch while cooking at the Wauwinet Inn on Nantucket.