Profiles

Bio

I’m a semi-retired software engineer with 40+ years in tech, and a former core contributor to both WordPress and WooCommerce. I specialize in advanced WooCommerce and WordPress development, and I enjoy mentoring others, whether they’re learning to code or building something meaningful online.

I’m fluent in French, Spanish, German, and Japanese, with some conversational Polish. Outside of tech, I’ve been surfing for over 50 years and still hit the waves whenever I can.

I split my time between three homes in Turks and Caicos, Bucks County and Laguna Beach, California. I love traveling and meeting new people.

Need help or want to talk shop? Find me on WooCommerce Slack: @SenseiSenkōKamoku

Interests

Coding, Cyber Security, Surfing, Jeopardy, Traveling, Crossword Puzzles and Cooking.

WordPress Origin Story

I came into WordPress not by chance, but by curiosity.

Back when the blogging landscape was fragmented and rigid, I found myself deep in the early forks of b2. WordPress wasn’t just another tool, it was a rebellion against closed systems, and I was all in. From day one, I was tearing it apart, patching, testing, and contributing in the background.

As the platform matured, so did the challenges. My focus shifted to security—specifically brute-force protection and login vulnerabilities—long before WordPress had official teams dedicated to it. I wasn’t interested in recognition. I just wanted to help keep the foundation solid while the ecosystem grew.

When WooCommerce emerged, I saw the same spark—open, flexible, and built for creators. I got involved early, contributing to both code and strategy. Since then, I’ve helped shape high-performance stores, hardened payment flows, and advised on scalability issues most developers don’t hit until it’s too late.

WordPress and WooCommerce aren’t just platforms I work with—they’re systems I’ve grown with. And even now, decades later, I’m still quietly in the mix—helping the next generation build faster, safer, and smarter.

  • Member Since: January 27th, 2019
  • Location: Turks & Caicos, Laguna Beach, CA and Bucks County, PA
  • Website: thebonsaigroup.io
  • GitHub: StefsterNYC
  • Job Title: President + CEO
  • Employer: The Bonsai Group
  • Find me on:
  • Posted a reply to Order origin unknown for some orders, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
    @sumisuknives Got it. So yeah, if Complianz isn’t firing correctly or is delaying scripts, Woo’s…

  • Posted a reply to Order origin unknown for some orders, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
    @sumisuknives Those are usually Bots of a sort. If you have legit orders then those…

  • Posted a reply to Apple Pay Not Honoring Shipping Method Order, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
    Hey @mosesmedh sorry it's been insane this week. Unfortunately, I'm no longer using that username…

  • Posted a reply to Apple Pay Not Honoring Shipping Method Order, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
    I'll reach out to you directly on Slack @mosesmedh This is a major brand and…

  • Posted a reply to Apple Pay Not Honoring Shipping Method Order, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
    Thanks @lovingbro

  • Posted a reply to Apple Pay Not Honoring Shipping Method Order, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
    There's really no need to get back to me on this @fetenlakhal this is just…

  • Posted a reply to Apple Pay Not Honoring Shipping Method Order, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
    This isn't for me @mosesmedh this is for clients. The Stripe Team needs to know…

  • Posted a reply to Scheduled action ‘fetch_patterns’ runs every few seconds, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
    Here @mosesmedh `### WordPress Environment ### WordPress address (URL): https://bybjorn.nlSite address (URL): https://bybjorn.nlWC Version: 9.8.5Legacy…

  • Created a topic, Apple Pay Not Honoring Shipping Method Order, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
    Hey team, client reached out complaining that Apple Pa…

  • Posted a reply to Automatewoo “order – item categories” rule – include child categories?, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
    Hello @charlesrodmell this forum is for Woo core only. If you have questions for AutomateWoo…

  • Posted a reply to Fix display cart, check out and purchase summary pages on mobile view, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
    @naheela glad I could help. Take care.

  • Posted a reply to Fix php snippet code, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
    @waseemsannib Okay, if nothing's working and you've tried with CSS then maybe reach out to…

  • Posted a reply to Scheduled action ‘fetch_patterns’ runs every few seconds, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
    @vbosch Let's try deactivating Woo and any of its related extensions. Wait a few, clear…

  • Posted a reply to Scheduled action ‘fetch_patterns’ runs every few seconds, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
    Hey @vbosch Alright. If setting woocommerce_blocks_did_fetch_patterns didn’t stop it, Woo’s likely also checking for the…

  • Posted a reply to Fix php snippet code, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
    Have you cleared your server cache @waseemsannib and your browser cache? The second snippet was…

  • Posted a reply to Fix display cart, check out and purchase summary pages on mobile view, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
    Hi @naheela you have some currency switcher in the way. We do not support 3rd…

  • Posted a reply to Scheduled action ‘fetch_patterns’ runs every few seconds, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
    Hey @vbosch You’re halfway there. Deleting the action and logs helps clean up, but fetch_patterns…

  • Posted a reply to Fix php snippet code, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
    @waseemsannib Excellent. Since is_front_page() is true, the condition is working. The issue is likely with…

  • Posted a reply to Fix php snippet code, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
    Hi again @waseemsannib The reason the button still shows is probably because your homepage is…

  • Posted a reply to Fix php snippet code, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
    Hey @waseemsannib I'm 100% sure of the code works. I tested before I gave it…

  • Posted a reply to Woocommerce analytics NOT WORK, dont show data, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
    Hey @iwporg you can go to:WooCommerce > Status > Toolsand click Clear Analytics Cache this…

  • Posted a reply to Scheduled action ‘fetch_patterns’ runs every few seconds, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
    Hey @vbosch I believe you're going thru the same thing that happened to another user…

  • Posted a reply to Non-existent variations added to cart, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
    Hey @nummu4 can you go to Woo > Status > Tools and then look for…

  • Posted a reply to Fix php snippet code, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
    Hey @waseemsannib You’ve got incorrect quote characters in your snippet, that usually happens when copying…

  • Posted a reply to Database Update Stuck After Updating WooCommerce to 9.8.5, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
    Hey @ghinamt glad that worked out for you.

  • Posted a reply to Critical Error in ActionScheduler_DBStore.php, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
    Thanks @paul-foxton appreciate that, and glad things have finally settled. When you reinstall Woo later,…

  • Posted a reply to Critical Error in ActionScheduler_DBStore.php, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
    Thanks @paul-foxton I went back and reviewed the earlier SSR you shared. Based on the…

  • Posted a reply to Look up guest customers in “Add order” to prefill information?, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
    Hey @rushwayc Ya, unfortunately WooCommerce has never handled repeat guest orders well, and it’s a…

  • Posted a reply to [NSFW] Payment, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
    Hey @apsipirkpasmus sorry you're going thru all that. I'm assuming you went with Woo Payments.…

  • Posted a reply to Database Update Stuck After Updating WooCommerce to 9.8.5, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
    Thanks for getting back to me @ghinamt and for all that info. Let me be…

  • Created a topic, Affirm JavaScript Error – WooCommerce Stripe Gateway Not Loading SDK, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
    Hey team, We’re seeing this JS error on product pag…

  • Posted a reply to I receive a Notification: Your Cart is Empty when I try to click Buy Now, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
    Hey @nadiawrites, Sounds like your “Buy Now” button might be coming from a 3rd party…

  • Posted a reply to Database Update Stuck After Updating WooCommerce to 9.8.5, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
    Hey @ghinamt It looks like your WooCommerce DB update is stuck due to a backlog…

  • Posted a reply to Critical Error in ActionScheduler_DBStore.php, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
    Hi @mosesmedh appreciate the follow-up. Just to clarify the timeline: while @paul-foxton did mention running…

  • Posted a reply to Critical Error in ActionScheduler_DBStore.php, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
    Hey @paul-foxton I just want to be crystal clear here. This has nothing to do…

  • Posted a reply to 3D Secure Not Triggering Properly on Checkout – popup is not displayed, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
    Ah yeah, that’s the issue. When you use: Header append Content-Security-Policy "style-src 'self' 'unsafe-inline' https://js.stripe.com;"…

  • Posted a reply to 3D Secure Not Triggering Properly on Checkout – popup is not displayed, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
    Where are you hosted @cee2025 and (sorry if I’m repeating any questions, I’m on my…

  • Posted a reply to 3D Secure Not Triggering Properly on Checkout – popup is not displayed, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
    Hey @cee2025 Ah, the CSP error you mentioned might be the smoking gun. If your…

  • Posted a reply to Fatal error: Maximum execution time of 120 seconds exceeded, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
    @willow548 are you clearing server and browser cache in between all these tests? You need…

  • Posted a reply to Fatal error: Maximum execution time of 120 seconds exceeded, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
    Hey @willow548 Thanks for all this. That’s super helpful. Here’s the honest truth: WooCommerce really…

  • Posted a reply to Problem on the store page, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
    Hey @adio93 what do you mean by clearing? Were you doing some cleaning? Did you…

  • Posted a reply to Woocommerce > Settings > Payments blank after update, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
    Hey @cmaheux35 I've had this happen several times on a few installs. Try clearing your…

  • Posted a reply to 3D Secure Not Triggering Properly on Checkout – popup is not displayed, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
    Hey @cee2025 Quick check here, can you confirm whether you’re using the legacy Card Elements…

  • Posted a reply to Fatal error: Maximum execution time of 120 seconds exceeded, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
    Hey, @willow548 thanks for all the details. This error means something on the product page…

  • Posted a reply to When I install WooCommerce, I get the following notice, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
    To be honest @kendawes Yes, turning off debug only hides the warning, it doesn’t “fix”…

  • Posted a reply to 3D Secure Not Triggering Properly on Checkout – popup is not displayed, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
    Hey @cee2025 Yeah, this comes up a lot, it’s not really a Woo bug though.…

  • Posted a reply to When I install WooCommerce, I get the following notice, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
    Hey @anavato do you know if you turned on debug mode? If so go turn…

  • Posted a reply to Proceed to Checkout Button Issues, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
    Looking good @stevez17 no issues. Screenshot

  • Posted a reply to Proceed to Checkout Button Issues, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
    @stevez17 now that was a different flow entirely. I just landed on your initial link…

  • Posted a reply to Proceed to Checkout Button Issues, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
    @stevez17 Ya so not sure what you mean by bottom button, but I'm not seeing…