Shane Finkel­stein grew up in Val­ley Stream, New York and majored in Eng­lish at the Uni­ver­si­ty of Mary­land. After col­lege, he pub­lished Uni­ver­si­ty Reporter in Atlanta, then trav­eled the world in 2000. After set­tling in New Orleans, he opened five Mex­i­can restau­rants, sur­vived Kat­ri­na, got mar­ried, had three chil­dren and became an active mem­ber and cur­rent board mem­ber at Tem­ple Sinai.