More About Me

Chef John Draz received his associate degree from The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York in 1981 and was the recipient of the Edward T. Hanley Scholarship. He also received a bachelor’s degree in Culinary Management from Kendall College in Evanston, IL.  During his 40 plus years in the field, Chef Draz has worked at numerous restaurants and hotels. In 1983, as Chef of The Winnetka Grill, Chef Draz was featured in the PBS television series Great Chefs of Chicago.

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Chef Draz was a founding faculty member of the Kendall College School of Culinary Arts in Evanston, Illinois. While serving on the faculty, he taught a wide variety of subjects related to professional cookery. Chef Draz served as chair of the culinary department from 1988 to 1991, supervising all aspects of instruction and college foodservice. He has earned certifications from the American Culinary Federation including Certified Executive Chef and Certified Culinary Educator.  Draz is the co-author of The Culinary Professional, a culinary textbook published by Goodheart-Wilcox Publishers.  This book has become one of the leading instructional texts in culinary education. 

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In addition, Chef Draz has experienced entrepreneurship as chef/owner of a 300-seat fine-dining restaurant and banquet facility in suburban Chicago. He has extensive consulting experience lending his talents to numerous independent and national chain restaurants, manufacturers and trade associations. 

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In 2004 Chef Draz entered the field of food product development first as Executive Research Chef for Ed Miniat, Inc., a manufacturer of cooked meat and poultry products.  In that position, he developed products and menu items for the frozen food industry and national restaurant chains.  Draz is recognized as a Certified Research Chef by the Research Chefs Association.  In 2022 he became Senior Research Chef for Swift Prepared Foods, a division of JBS USA. In this role he used his extensive experience in sous vide cooking to develop fully cooked proteins for retail and foodservice.

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In 2023 Chef Draz was inducted into the Honorable Order of the Golden Toque, an association of accomplished senior chefs with membership limited to 100 chefs world-wide. 

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In 2024 Draz started his own consulting business, offering his knowledge and expertise to manufacturers, restaurants, trade and commodity groups and educational institutions.