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Damian's first restaurant job landed him at the dishwashing sink until he worked his way up to the stove of the local diner. After completing a year of college, his early food memories and experiences at the diner prompted him to enroll in the Pennsylvania Culinary Institute in Pittsburgh. Upon graduation in 1997, he spent two summers in Nantucket at the Myriad Restaurant Group's Brant Point Grill. Damian moved to New York City with the Myriad Group in November 1998 to assist in the opening of Heartbeat in the W Hotel. What had started out as a three month project set him on a career path that would unfold over the next ten years.

When Damian left Shallots he accepted a position under Chef Olivier Muller at Daniel Boulud's DB Bistro Moderne. It was in this energy infused kitchen that Damian was first exposed to true Alsatian cuisine. He credits Olivier Muller for much of his training and for opening his eyes to the transformation of simple ingredients into the complex flavors found in a modern French bistro. After two years as Sous Chef at DB Bistro, Damian assumed the role of Chef de Banquet at DANIEL and later, in June 2007, the role of Sous Chef under Jean Francois Bruel.