Chapter Chef of the Year 2021
Chefs toques off to you a sincere thank you for laying the groundwork for others
to follow and in helping making us who we are today.
to follow and in helping making us who we are today.
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About John D. Lucchesi, CEC, MBA
After graduating from Ann Arbor Pioneer High School in 1983, John went on to the University of Michigan to pursue an education in the medical research field. After working throughout college in the research labs the grant money ran out. Without a source of “walking around money” John needed to find a job. He applied for the dishwasher position at the Gandy Dancer Restaurant, (the old historic train station in Ann Arbor), and immediately fell in love with the kitchen and the chaos. An attempt to transfer Schoolcraft College to pursue a degree in the Culinary Arts was met with a two year long wait list, so it was on to Michigan State University to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Food Systems Management. Upon graduating from MSU, John immediately entered Schoolcraft College and graduated with his Associate Degree in Applied Science – Culinary Arts. He then joined a fellow classmate to head up the Garde Manger position at La Becasse Restaurant on the shores of Glenn Lake, Michigan. After a summer there he joined the team at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Dearborn where he worked his way up to the position of Garde Manger Chef. His career eventually took him to the Palace of Auburn Hills where over his fifteen-year employment he held positions of Garde Manger Chef, Restaurant Chef, Purchasing Manager, and Food Trak Manager. Throughout John’s career he has been very fortunate to cook for and meet countless celebrities, artists, and esteem dignitaries. Some notables have been President George W. Bush (twice), Sir Paul McCartney, the Detroit Pistons players, owners, and families, Van Halen, Sean “Puffy” Combs, (a.k.a. Diddy, Puff, Puff Daddy, Puffy), the Red Wings players and coaches, and many, many more. After 28 years in the business John found that his passion for the culinary arts, cooking, and serving guests had expanded to the point where he now wanted to “give back” to others what he learned throughout his career. This new passion prompted him to pursue a career in teaching. John Lucchesi joined Mott Community College of Flint in August of 2011 as Faculty Instructor of The Applewood Café, (Mott’s hands on fine dining restaurant lab class), and Instructor of Food Management and Culinary courses at Mott. While teaching at Mott, John Lucchesi earned a master’s degree in Analytics, Innovation, and Technology from Cleary University, as well as his Certified Executive Chef certification and Culinary Evaluator designation through the American Culinary Federation (ACF). He also holds his ServSafe and TiPS certifications for the State of Michigan. Chef Lucchesi has been active in the food service industry for over 30 years. He has worked for all levels of food service from fast food, to catering to fine dining. He loves to teach and bring real life experiences into his classroom so his students can see the vast opportunities available to them in the food service/culinary industry, as they pursue their degree at Mott Community College. John Lucchesi is an avid hunter and likes to use his hunting experiences to teach his students to respect the food that they work with, and to focus on the craft they are training for. He is excited to be a part of the Mott Community College Team and looks forward to helping form the future of the Culinary Program at Mott, as well as the futures of his students. |
