Medical Team
Dr. Barshack is a graduate of Haverford College and the University of Maryland Medical School. He completed his residency in Psychiatry at St. Mary’s Hospital in San Francisco. Dr. Barshack has been working with teens and their families for more than thirty years including both inpatient and outpatient psychopharmacology. He finds that many of the adolescents who come to Paradigm are over medicated rather than undereducated. He is devoted to responsible titration when appropriate and insuring that young people are treated as a whole, rather than simply treating their symptoms. He share’s Paradigm’s philosophy that medication should be a last resort rather than a quick and easy fix. In addition, Dr Barshack is an avid SF Giants and Forty Niners fan and enjoys cross country bicycle trips in his free time.
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Melissa enjoys interacting with youth in a direct, down-to-earth and compassionate manner in order to promote understanding and a sense of safety. She feels it is important to understand cultural practices and traditions as part of helping youth from various backgrounds feel understood and at ease. Melissa earned her associate degree in nursing at College of Marin and her Master of Science in Counseling and Bachelor of Arts in Psychology both from San Francisco State University. She has experience working in a variety of nursing fields and a long-time passion working with youth. Melissa has worked as a residential counselor at Huckleberry House, an intern/health educator at Huckleberry Teen Clinic, an intern with San Rafael Police Department Youth Service Unit, and completed her mental health rotation at Herrick Alta Bates. While interning with SRPD, she accompanied male teens to San Quentin Prison as part of the SQUIRES program. In her free time Melissa enjoys reading, listening to podcasts, and training in Krav Maga self-defense.
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Melissa holds a Master’s in Somatic Psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies. Prior to her work as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, she obtained a Master’s in Human Nutrition from McGill University and worked for over 15 years in community nutrition. Melissa is passionate about creating spaces for people to connect and believes strongly in meeting people where they are. Melissa uses a range of relational and somatic therapeutic approaches to establish an environment that feels safe, supported and open to inquiry. Her style is warm and direct. She strives to support teens and families to build relationships with themselves and each other. In honoring and understanding the strategies that have been used to survive, Melissa supports families in identifying a new way forward. Melissa recognizes her role as Program Director as more than a profession and brings immense passion and dedication to the teens and families that she and her team support.
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Dr. Lowe graduated from Fuller School of Psychology and completed his doctoral internship and postdoctoral residency at Heritage Clinic. During his initial years as a clinical psychologist, he devoted his time conducting autism, personality, academic, and intelligence testing (ADOS-2, BOSA, MMPI-2, Rorschach, Woodcock Johnson, WISC-4, WAIS-3, etc.) in both private and charter school settings. Dr. Lowe also spent the last five years conducting individual and group therapy for the 55 and over age group, which involves people who are comorbid with mental illness and chronic illness. His specialty includes treating depression, panic attack, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), with eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR).
Prior to his clinical psychology training, Dr. Lowe studied Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT), and has extensive experience with sensitivity to Asian culture and acculturation issues.
He is a compassionate individual but with a positive outlook and enthusiasm. Dr. Lowe is committed to providing quality health care and always does his best to take care of any unique needs.
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Jordyn Bonanni holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of San Francisco and a Master’s of Arts in Holistic Counseling Psychology with an emphasis on Depth Psychotherapy at John F. Kennedy University. She has over five years of experience working with teens in a variety of settings including school art programs and teen helplines. Jordyn’s clinical interest is in adolescent addiction, anxiety, depression, and trauma-related disorders. Her approach integrates person-centered therapy with techniques from family systems theory, psychoanalytic theory, narrative therapy, mindfulness, expressive arts, dreamwork, and nature-based therapies. Her goal is to contribute to a unique healing experience for each teen and to foster stronger relationships and communication with their families. Jordyn has many interests, including the outdoors, traveling, painting, and creative writing. She encourages each teen to explore their interests as they move toward self discovery, individuation, and overall health. Jordyn is supervised by Claudia Viadro LMFT #41816
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As a graduate student instructor at the University of Michigan, she mentored 75 young adults who were working to earn psychology degrees. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of San Francisco and a Master’s in Social Work from the University of Michigan. Ashley is a licensed Clinical Social Worker. Ashley received her clinical training during a year-long internship at an Inpatient Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Unit aiding patients in crisis situations. She draws her approach from attachment theories as well as a trauma-focused lens. Ashley’s approach focuses on holistic, strength-based interventions meant to create lasting change. Her clinical interest includes working with adolescents and their families to create effective therapeutic rapport and building clinical insight to help patients succeed far beyond their time at Paradigm. Embroidering and baking new recipes are two of her hobbies when she is not working. She also volunteers at San Francisco Marin Foodbank and Family House San Francisco.
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Megan is currently finishing her Bachelor of Science in Psychology, with a focus on child and adolescent development. Upon completion, she will start the Master of Social Work (MSW) program, ultimately becoming a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). She is strongly committed to working with youth in crisis and helping empower them to identify a pathway to healing and growth. She has worked in various therapeutic environments, both residential and outpatient treatment facilities for adolescents, as well as worked and volunteered with several nonprofit organizations that serve at-risk youth in the community. She has facilitated many youth programs and classes for North Texas Workforce locations. Her experience, and goals for the future, equip her with a unique perspective and ability to connect and empathize, while maintaining healthy boundaries and cultivating a safe, structured, peaceful environment. Megan prefers a holistic, patient-centered approach to treatment. She truly believes that with the right individualized plan of care, recovery is not only possible, but inevitable. She is passionate about social justice and human rights. As an animal lover, she is also passionate about animal rights. In her free time, Megan enjoys hiking or hitting the beach with her pup, yoga, and road trips.
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Lucy joined Paradigm as a Clinical Assistant over two years ago where she became passionate about helping teens and young adults find happiness and achieve what they never thought was possible. Before transitioning into her current role, Lucy moved in to the Lead Clinical Assistant position where she was responsible for training and assisting in managing the clinical assistant/direct care team. However, Lucy’s relationship with Paradigm started when she was just a teenager. Having attended Paradigm herself, Lucy understands firsthand how positive communication, structure and compassionate guidance is needed to help teens and young adults achieve and sustain healing and recovery. She recognizes that teens thrive in a safe, supportive, and structured environment and prioritizes building trust with clients in order to help them develop insight around how their experiences and environment have impacted them. She believes this kind of insight-oriented work aids young people in fostering intrinsic motivation to heal. Prior to Paradigm, Lucy worked as a hairstylist and was a peer-mentor to young people in her community. In her current role, Lucy enjoys planning engaging activities for clients, building new connections within the local community, coordinating a structured schedule for the program, and assisting in training staff at all levels. When not working at Paradigm, Lucy loves being outdoors, hiking, cooking, surfing, and anything involving animals.
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Sophie attended Paradigm Treatment Center in the past and has been proudly in recovery for over four years. She has helped many young people achieve sobriety and has always found joy in helping others. She worked as a caregiver in San Francisco and plans on returning to school to earn a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Sophie is compassionate, supportive, understanding, and a great listener. She enjoys reading, hiking, cooking, and music.
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With over 7 years of experience in behavioral healthcare, Shay started her journey as a direct support professional, supporting youth and adults with intellectual development disabilities. Currently, through growth in her career, Shay is the Coordinator of the Overnight Clinical Assistants- a leader of the overnight team operations. Years in the behavioral health field has awarded Shay with a plethora of knowledge in regards to individual service plans, specialized autism services, social skills, client engagement, positive redirection and more. Shay continues to attend trainings and thoroughly researches how to constantly support youth and adults with mental illness and IDD. Having attended extensive therapy herself as a youth, Shay is aware of client care and treatment teams goals in supporting clients from all backgrounds. A caregiver by nature, Shay believes that everyone at some point in life needs guidance and support no matter their race, sex, religion or disability. Outside of her profession in her personal time, Shay enjoys traveling, painting, music and reading.
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| Having worked with both children and adults from lower-income areas, Yazeed likes to help create an environment of safety and security by encouraging and listening to those experiencing the adverse psychological effects of financial instability. He has worked with children and adolescents in multiple capacities including volunteering with Walker Creek camps and in HeadStart classrooms. Yazeed prefers a dynamic approach to mental health, fitting clinical approaches to specific client needs. He received his Associate degree from Santa Rosa Junior College and is currently working towards his Bachelor’s degree at UC Berkeley. |
Academics
Leadership is a skill that has been important throughout Jordyn’s life and she hopes to inspire young adults and teens to be confident leaders. She views Paradigm as a place for them to explore their identities in a safe environment and to learn the skills to overcome a multitude of hardships. Jordyn hopes to help teens learn to express themselves in a positive way and sees Paradigm as a step on their mental health journey. Jordyn was an Experiential Learning Specialist and Mentor at Camp EDMO in the North Bay area where she worked to help youth reach their academic and personal goals while cultivating a family-focused method to holistically address concerns. She earned her Bachelor’s in Psychology, a second major in Human Development, and certificates in Adolescent and Mindfulness Studies at Washington State University at Pullman. Jordyn is a former college athlete and now enjoys exercise, yoga and theater in her free time. She also has eight years of expertise playing the flute and ten years of choir experience.
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Stephanie Holdenried graduated from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and is the 6th generation of a California ranching family and a nationally-certified (CEIP) equine-facilitated educator and nutritionist. She creates and facilitates a wide range of equine therapy programs, including experiences for women, youth, and recovery groups, with the goal of helping individuals find greater self-awareness by connecting to their own intrinsic wisdom. Stephanie is also the founder of GUTS-y Girls, an equine-led life skills and leadership group for 10-12 year olds, and co-founder of Networking at the Barn, in Marin County. Beyond this, she is developing leadership and team building programs for organizations through her licensing with Horse Dream in Europe. Stephanie’s grounded presence combined with her own experience growing up on a ranch and being an avid horsewoman allow her unique insights and understanding to create space for profound equine therapy sessions that allow Paradigm youth to open and connect with themselves and others in a deep, meaningful way.
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Judy Weston-Thompson is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and a certified equine interactive specialist. Judy holds a Master’s degree in Clinical Counseling from Sonoma State University and completed her Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy studies more than a decade ago. She was among the first graduate class of psychotherapists to be certified as an equine interactive professional mental health (CBEIP.org). Judy also holds a therapeutic riding instructor certificate from and is an active member of, the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH Intl.). Over time, Judy has developed her own unique form of Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy, which has proven especially effective for the treatment of teens struggling with anxiety, interpersonal relationship building, depression, trauma, and PTSD. Combining several different types of psychotherapy treatments with various horsemanship and horse-related practices (natural horsemanship, animal communication & horse massage), Judy has developed her own treatment modality; based on a true partnership beneficial to both human and horse.
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Daniel Rauck completed his teacher training at Greenpath yoga in SF and has been a yoga instructor for more than a decade. Since his very first yoga class, he was inspired at yoga’s potential for healing and transformation. Daniel has taught over 10,000 classes and brought the practice of yoga to folks from a wide variety of backgrounds. He has worked with a full spectrum of physical abilities, from athletes to the differently-abled. Regardless of one’s current physical and emotional state, Daniel teaches yoga in a way that meets each adolescent where they are, in order to help the teen find their own path to balance and empowerment. Augmenting his yoga teaching are studies in Yoga Nidra, restorative yoga, and yin yoga, as well as being a NASM corrective exercise specialist.
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Ian Wilkerson is a Board Certified Music Therapist who has refined his musical skills through years of practice, extensive study, and performance. A person-centered therapy provider, he specializes in supporting creativity, self-expression, and self-empowerment through music. he is the founder of Bay Area Music Therapy, and he is also a passionate singer/songwriter. Ian received a Bachelor of Music with dual majors in Music Therapy and Songwriting from Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. Before graduating with honors, he sat as President of the Board for the New England Region Music Therapy Association for Students. Additionally, he received his certification training in Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT) from the Center for Biomedical Research in Music (CBRM) at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, CO. Ian has been a faculty Music Therapist at a Bay Area Music Center and a Music Therapy Coordinator. He is an active member of the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA), and he is a trained REMO Health RHYTHMS Facilitator. He specializes in helping people find their own unique and empowered voices through improvisation and songwriting and focuses on youth abilities and preferences to meet the individual teen’s needs.
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Marquis is a former Division 1 football player at the University of Arizona who has a passion for fitness, education, and helping others. As a youth he was always active and involved in sports as well as various other activities. His time and energy spent in sports translated directly onto the field. He excelled in football and received a full ride scholarship to play Defensive back at the U of A, where he stared on defense and led the team in interceptions as a senior. Upon entering college with an eager and hungry mind set, he gravitated towards strength training and quickly fell in love with it. After a short stint with the Chicago Bears of the NFL, Marquis closed the chapter of his football career and geared his attention towards athletic training and helping others reach their highest fitness potential. He began interning at the University of Arizona where NFL players would return to campus in the offseason to train and sharpen their skills. Soon after, he moved back to California where he would start to do more one-on-one training.
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Robert has a degree in business management from Clemson University in South Carolina. He started his career in Atlanta, working for one of the city’s first companies, helping clients adapt their business to an online environment. Innovation and “What’s Next” interested Robert from the start. He relocated from Atlanta to California in 2007, continuing his career in the high tech industry. Robert later started his career in mental health in 2015 with a Los Angeles treatment center as Director of Admissions.
Robert is a natural empath and is passionate about helping others take the necessary steps to achieve a better life. In his time away from work, he enjoys spending time with his family and friends, traveling, and taking care of his rescue pup, Bowie.
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Alicia has limitless compassion and empathy for people going through life’s challenges and transitions and feels privileged to work with those who are seeking support. She grew up in Seattle, Washington and moved to Los Angeles in 2017. Alicia has worked in the behavioral health field for 5 years. As someone who has had family and close friends struggle with mental health, she understands the importance of our industry and the services we provide. Alicia is passionate about eliminating the negative stigmas in society associated with mental health care and normalizing public discussion surrounding this topic. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, pilates, and being outdoors.
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Erica is a seasoned clinician with experience working with children, adolescents, and adults in outpatient, hospital, and residential settings. A graduate from Quinnipiac University with a Masters in Social Work, Erica began her career working in residential treatment programs with adolescents and adults struggling with mental health and substance abuse issues. Her professional training includes various evidence based practices, including CBT, TF-CBT, DBT, and Solution-Focused Therapy.
Erica has spent the last few years developing partnerships with other mental health professionals and serving as a referral resource for their clients. She values the importance of interpersonal relationships and trust among professionals in the mental health treatment world. In her personal time, Erica enjoys traveling, Crossfit, and spending time with her Goldendoodle, Chloe.
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Krista MacKinnon has worked in the mental health field for 20+ years in various capacites. She is a firm believer in the power of recovery and has delivered mental health recovery trainings across Canada, USA, and Australia. Her work is rooted in both personal and professional experience. She is driven by the power of love and connection.
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Mindi has almost completed a Bachelor of Science in International Business. Before discovering her passion for supporting clients to navigate and access care, she was a small business owner and successfully managed high profile restaurants in the Denver Metro area. After going through a healing journey of her own, Mindi decided to pursue a career in a field that aligns with a desire to support others in an impactful and meaningful way. After serving as Admissions Manager for psychology clinics specializing in eating disorder recovery, Mindi found her way to Paradigm Treatment. Outside of work, Mindi enjoys spending time with her partner and dogs, and is passionate about collecting and restoring antiques.
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Having been in recovery from alcoholism for 10 years, and also having struggled with anxiety and an eating disorder, Megan is familiar with the fear of stigma, but also, the healing process. She believes in meeting each individual where they are, allowing them the autonomy to pursue whichever path of treatment is most beneficial for them. She loves to work with families, because she believes they experience just as much trauma, fear, and shame as the individual seeking treatment. She enjoys talking to families about what to expect, and helping them navigate the overwhelming process of admitting their loved one into a treatment program. It is her passion to help each person she encounters feel comfortable, safe, and understood. Megan believes every individual is different and has a different recovery and healing process. She enjoys working with CBT, DBT, ART, EMDR, and experiential therapeutic modalities. She was the director of admissions at Desert Cove Recovery, a business development representative at First Step Center, admissions representative at Denver Recovery Center and at The Raleigh. Megan has volunteered with hospitals and institutions bringing Narcotics Anonymous meetings and at Youth Detention Institute. Megan has earned CPR certification, first aid certification and level one fingerprint clearance. Megan enjoys yoga, not only for the physical benefits, but being able to expand her mindfulness, gratitude, and openness to the world.
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Alexandra Lincoln has had a passion for helping others since she started working in the treatment field over four years ago. Alex’s prior experience includes working as a case manager and an admissions coordinator for a treatment center in New Hampshire. Alex’s favorite part of working at Paradigm is helping families. In her free time, she enjoys riding horses, practicing yoga and spending time with her family.
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As Paradigm Treatment’s Admissions Manager, Sydney handles all incoming admissions requests including questions pertaining to insurance and related financial matters. Sydney also interfaces with clients, families, and our internal team to ensure that our admissions processes are running smoothly and that our programs are accurately messaged to both clients and affiliates.
Sydney has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in Addiction & Recovery from the University of Alabama and a Master of Arts in Counseling from Cal Lutheran University. Sydney is passionate about assisting individuals and their families navigate their unique challenges and circumstances so as to best achieve their goals. When she isn’t working, Sydney enjoys hiking, traveling, and international cuisine.
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Emily Armour is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, and Nationally Certified Counselor who graduated from Walden University with her Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Baylor University. Prior to joining Paradigm, Emily worked with adolescents and their families in a variety of settings that included schools, Juvenile Hall, and outpatient facilities. She has extensive experience in treating depression, anxiety, trauma, high risk behaviors, parenting and co-parenting support, and addiction-related issues. She is a certified telemental health provider, certified clinical anxiety treatment provider, and possesses additional training in dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) and motivational interviewing (MI). Emily uses an integrative and eclectic approach to treatment based on the client’s needs and presenting issues. Her experience in the field has made her intimately familiar with the pressures, hardships, and life stressors that often can become debilitating for youth and their families. She works to fully understand the core issues that are causing maladaptive behaviors, how they impact the individual, and family and create more personal insight so that her clients are able to gain a sense of intrinsic motivation, develop a positive sense of self, feel better, and better interact with themselves and the world.
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Avonlea Ware holds a Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University, where she also earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology with a minor in Philosophy. She joined Paradigm as a Clinical Assistant and worked with young clients for a handful of years before moving into her current position. She is a high energy team player who has a broad range of interpersonal and administrative skills and who strives to meet the needs of clients and families. Having traveled and lived throughout Europe, India, and the Middle East, Avonlea developed a focus on conflict resolution and communication skills, which she believes are assets to teens struggling to find their place in the world. When Avonlea is not working she enjoys spending time at the beach, gardening, and connecting more with the world around her.
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Lindsay has a BA in Communication Studies from Loyola Marymount University, and a MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of Phoenix. She is a licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (CMHC) in Utah, and is in the process of getting her LPCC license in California. After growing up in the Los Angeles area, Lindsay relocated to Salt Lake City, Utah in 2009, where she attended graduate school, and started her therapy career. She soon found her passion for helping facilities and clients with insurance authorizations and has worked with numerous adolescent and adult mental health and substance abuse facilities across the country. Her behind the scenes clinical work with insurance companies allows clients and their families to focus on receiving the lifesaving treatment they need without the added financial burdens and headaches of dealing with insurance. Lindsay is also a skilled clinician; she is EMDR trained, trauma focused, and specializes in substance dependence and addiction. After a decade in Salt Lake City, Lindsay moved back home to the Los Angeles area in 2021 to be closer to her family, and work with Paradigm.
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Debora’s experience includes being a business owner for 9 years and working for 20 years in customer service. She actively facilitates client communication to and from Paradigm’s clinical team and enjoy establishing caring relationships with patients. Maintaining constructive communication is one of my top priorities. I am also proficient in computer applications and maintain a high commitment to accuracy and efficiency. Debora enjoys spending time with family and likes to stay active with her husband and daughters. She also enjoys bike rides and hiking.
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Yoanca Reyes graduated from UCLA in 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and a minor in Spanish. Her interest in the HR field led her to seek an HR certificate through Cal State Dominguez Hills. During this time, she also volunteered for Latina Republic as a tutor to elementary school students who needed extra assistance. Her enthusiasm for a positive work environment and stimulating work culture match her role at Paradigm Treatment, where Yoanca assists the HR team in assuring that employees are in accordance with company guidelines and that employees’ questions and concerns are answered.
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Pricilla holds a degree from Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in 2012. She grew up in Alameda, California. Before joining Paradigm San Francisco she served as the manager at a renowned Latin restaurant in the bay area. Priscilla enjoys sharing her love of food with teens and helping them learn to make healthy eating choices. She believes that what young people eat can have a profound impact on their physical and mental health. She works closely with Paradigm’s on-site nutritionist to ensure that the dietary needs of each client are met.
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Randy has 25 years of professional culinary experience, working in both catering and restaurants. He graduated from the Culinary Arts program at the renowned New York Restaurant School where he learned cooking techniques and hands-on training that he still uses today. Randy brings his skills and passion for cooking a variety of foods to the guests and staff at Paradigm. Outside of work, his hobbies include cooking, camping and hiking.
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