Six months ago David Cohen moved from the San Rafael Willow Street Wood-Fired Pizza location to the Willow Glen location and became the executive chef for the Willow Street chain.

"I've been cooking since I was 13. My family and I lived in Philadelphia, and I started out cooking bagels. I worked my way up and then started working at different sandwich shops," Cohen said. "I've always loved cooking."

Cohen eventually earned a degree from Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Program and attended Cornell University as well.

"I think cooking is the original art form. Even back in the Stone Age men were having to find new ways to prepare food for their own survival. Man has been cooking since the beginning of time. It's a way of life, and it's a form of self-expression," Cohen said.

As executive chef it's Cohen's responsibility to oversee each dish that appears on the Willow Street menu.

"I basically have been given permission to add to the menu and make some changes. [Owner] Ed Rathman has been a great teacher and mentor to me. I've learned a lot working for him. And now I have the chance to help make his already great restaurants even better," Cohen said.

Some of the changes Cohen is making to the already extensive menu at Willow Street Wood-Fired Pizza include meals for people on special diets.

"A lot of people are now on a low-carb, high-protein diet, and it makes it hard for them to go out to dinner. So I've got some menu items specially created for those diets," Cohen said.

One of those items is the curry chicken salad. Comprised of curried chicken, mayonnaise, mixed greens, apples and toasted almonds, it meets many dietary requirements.

Cohen has also implemented a monthly specials menu.

"I like to spice things up for our customers, so we're doing monthly specials now. There will be seasonal things, and items will change each month," Cohen said.

For the month of June one of the special items is grilled flat iron. Flat iron is a specialty cut of beef. Cohen prepares it marinated in olive oil and fresh garlic and grilled. This dish will be served with grilled asparagus.

Another June special is the grilled prawn skewer—prawns with papaya and a black bean relish, all made fresh on the premises.

"We only use fresh ingredients. Fresh fish is the best, and everything else we serve we make here so that the customers get the best flavors from the food," Cohen said.

Since Willow Street Wood-Fired Pizza is considered a 'pizza' restaurant, Cohen has also worked on the pizzas.

"I've added a traditional margarita pizza, which the customers are loving," Cohen said.

The traditional thin-crust margarita pizza is made in the fashion of most European pizzas: a thin crust topped with diced tomato, garlic, olive oil and fresh mozzarella cheese.

"Cooking is how I express myself, and what I want to say to Willow Glen is thank you for making me feel so welcome. The best way I know to say that is to make a dining experience with us the very best that it can be," he adds.

Willow Street Wood-Fired Pizza, located at 1072 Willow St., is open Sunday through Thursday from 11:30 a.m. until 10 p.m. and Friday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m. until 11 p.m. For more information, reservations or take-out orders, call 408.971.7080.