The beet

Whitsons School Nutrition at Middletown Township Public Schools in Middletown, NJ was pleased to host accomplished chef David Burke at the district’s High School South. Blurring the lines between chef, artist, entrepreneur and inventor, Chef David Burke is one of the leading pioneers in American cooking today. His fascination with ingredients and the art of the meal has fueled a thirty-year career marked by creativity, critical acclaim and the introduction of revolutionary products and cooking techniques.

On October 2, 2019 Chef Burke made a special guest chef appearance for students at Middletown’s High School South, where he prepared his special Breadless Chicken Parma for students to enjoy.

“I am pleased to have been invited by Whitsons to be a guest chef at Middletown Township. I hope that my visit inspired young culinarians and encourages students to create innovative dishes of their own,” said Chef Burke.

“We were thrilled to host a world-renowned chef such as David Burke,” said Craig Whitcomb, Vice President of Operations at Whitsons. “He is a culinary pioneer and a legend in the industry. We are fortunate to be able to partner with him at Middletown, as he shares his knowledge of food with the students and community that we serve.”

A graduate of The Culinary Institute of America and a student at The Lenôtre Pastry School in Plaisir, France, Burke worked with such legendary chefs as Pierre Troisgros, George Blanc, Marc Meneau, Daniel Boulud, Charlie Palmer and Waldy Malouf. Burke’s mastery of French culinary technique and his unique American creativity were confirmed at the age of 26, receiving Three Stars for the River Cafe from the New York Times. Burke was then chosen by his peers to represent the USA at The International Culinary Competition and won France’s coveted Meilleurs Ouvriers de France Diplome d’Honneur; the only American to ever achieve this honor. He also won the Nippon Award for Excellence from the government of Japan, for overall skill and technique.

Throughout the past twenty years, Burke has led wide-ranging and innovative restaurant concepts. In 1992, he opened the well-known Park Avenue Café with Smith & Wollensky CEO Alan Stillman. In 1996, he became vice president of culinary development for the Smith & Wollensky Restaurant Group. In 2003, Burke branched out on his own to start his first ever proprietary and highly praised restaurant, David Burke & Donatella.

Check out Chef Burke in action here: https://youtu.be/oeI2n41oqyg

Whitsons also recently received press on this exciting event from Food Management magazine. Click here to read the article!