Al’s journey began at an early age in a locally owned restaurant where he worked as a waiter. That exposure led him to the Lorain County Joint Vocational School, Lorain, Ohio, and studies in their School of Culinary Arts. From there, he attended the Culinary Institute of America (Hyde Park, NY),graduating in 2006 with an associate’s degree. While at the CIA, he interned at the four-star Lake Placid Lodge in New York. There, he helped with the preparation and presentation of upscale American cuisine featuring farm-fresh local produce and products and came to appreciate the importance of the farm-to-table concept, an appreciation he pursued while working with world class chefs at the famous Chef’s Garden, Huron, Ohio. It was there that Ives refined and perfected his skills that he was later to apply at food preparation and menu creativity at Parallax, Zack Bruell’s restaurant in Tremont, Ohio. Several of the menu items here reflect Ives’s personal touch and creativity.