Meet the Chef/Owner: Chris Nikolos of Carmine's

Chris Nikolos is the chef/owner of both 's and The Ale House. Though he hails from Greece, he now calls Broomall home. He grew up cooking with his mother but honed his skills under his father-in-law, who was the chef at trendy Philadelphia restaurant Continental for 40 years. Read below to find out more about the man behind the menu.

Name: Chris Nikolos

Age: 51

Hometown: Greece

Home now: Broomall

Favorite thing about the community: The people–lots of nice people. It's also quiet.

Do you do any community work: We help the community–we give donations (pizzas, etc.) to schools, churches and other groups.

Years in the industry: 30

Earliest cooking memory: I cooked eggs and potatoes for my mother when I was 12.

First kitchen job: Short-order cook in Philadelphia at Continental restaurant.

Biggest kitchen disaster: A couple of people didn't show up for work. We had to work faster and faster. It was crazy trying to satisfy everybody.

What brought him to the industry: I love to work with food.

Advice for home cooks: Keep it simple. Use fresh ingredients. Don't serve anything you wouldn't eat.

Favorite thing to cook: Pizza, roast beef, sauteed dishes–a variety of things.

Favorite menu item: Chicken francaise

Healthiest menu item: Whole wheat pizza with vegetables

Favorite local restaurant: Giuseppe's.

Favorite restaurant in the world: Milos in New York City and Las Vegas.

Your cooking claim to fame: I've cooked for Roy Halladay and .

Favorite food shows: I stick with my own recipes. Things change so quickly. Food television doesn't really appeal to me.

Last meal on earth: Pizza.