Executive Chef John Reed

 A passion for the industry and a load of culinary experience led ACF Professional Chef John Reed to start Customized Culinary Solutions. He has rocked the culinary world for nearly thirty years, having studied and cooked locally, nationally and internationally, and has racked up an impressive amount of knowledge and skill that he likes to share with others.

Chef John kicked off his career with an Associate’s degree in Culinary Arts from Johnson & Wales University followed by a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Hotel, Restaurant and Travel Administration from University of Massachusetts. Shortly after, Chef John spent time working in Massachusetts, Florida, England and Switzerland before settling in Chicago.

Chef John is a Certified Executive Chef and a Certified Culinary Administrator on top of all of the following:

• Member of ACF Regional Culinary Team USA
• Member of the ACF Windy City Professional Culinarians
• Member of the Research Chefs Association (RCA)
• Associate of the Foodservice Consultants Society International (FCSI)
• Member of the Industry Advisory Board
• Member of National Association of Catering Executives (NACE)
• Educator at both the College of DuPage and Johnson & Wales University
• Participant in US Navy’s Adopt-a-Ship Program
• Member of Slow Foods
• Participant at Iowa State Meat Laboratory Short Courses

Among his many qualifications, Chef John was ACF Chef of the Year in 2007, ACF National Chef Professionalism 2010 and has since been decorated as a Culinary Competitor. In his past, Chef John has worked for companies like Food for Thought, Four Seasons, Swissotels, Boston Market, Taylor and Lactalis. Now the man reserves his expertise for clients looking to grow and optimize their own businesses.