VOL 27 ISSUE 17, April 27, 2026
Delaware North’s Culinary & Hospitality Excellence for Future Success (CHEFS®) program has come full circle with the announcement of a new cohort of mentors that includes program graduates.
Launched in 2022 by Delaware North’s Culinary & Hospitality Academy, the CHEFS program selects sous chefs – or emerging culinarians – from locations across the United States to participate in a 12-month development program. Each participant is paired with an experienced chef mentor to build technical skills, strengthen leadership capabilities and prepare for career advancement.
The newest group of mentors for the program’s sixth cohort includes chefs who have served as mentors in previous cohorts as well as new mentors who are graduates of earlier cohorts.
“It is rewarding to see six graduates from the first CHEFS cohort grow within the company and return to the CHEFS program now as new mentors, in addition to chefs who have served as mentors across multiple cohorts of emerging culinarians,” said Steve Eden, director of the Culinary & Hospitality Academy. “The graduates coming back to CHEFS as mentors are leaning into exactly what the program was meant to do: build a strong pipeline by training emerging culinarians to ultimately become leaders and teachers in the kitchen.
Nearly 100 culinarians are actively involved in the program, including more than 36 emerging culinarians and mentors in the sixth cohort.
The next group of mentors will convene this August at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) at Copia in Napa, Calif., to earn their ProChef ® Mentor designations.
The ProChef Mentor designation equips executive chefs with tools to lead, teach and develop talent in the kitchen. Through hands-on training and real-world scenarios, chefs strengthen their ability to coach emerging culinarians while enhancing their own leadership and technical skills.
Delaware North has collaborated with the CIA since the program’s inception, providing access to industry-leading culinary education and resources. Through the CHEFS program, both mentors and mentees can earn ProChef certifications, further strengthening their culinary knowledge and technical skills.
By completing the ProChef Mentor designation, chefs are better prepared to guide emerging culinarians through the CHEFS program and support their growth and development.
The sixth cohort of new mentors:
- Charles Krause, executive chef, Southland Casino Hotel in West Memphis, Ark.
- Bordin Boriphanvichitr, executive chef, Kalaloch Lodge in Forks, Wash.
- Zachary Skinner, executive chef, Niagara Falls State Park in Niagara Falls, N.Y.
- Jacquelyn Zehl, sous chef, Tenaya at Yosemite in Fish Camp, Calif. (Cohort 1 graduate)
- Evan Bergman, executive chef, The Grand Tier in New York City
- Rudy Lopez, executive chef, Paseo in Anaheim, Calif.
- Nanako Lugo, sous chef II, Morimoto Asia in Orlando, Fla. (Cohort 1 graduate)
- Jakob Sleight, executive chef, Stella 34 in New York City (Cohort 1 graduate)
- Michael Buonopane, executive chef, KeyBank Center in Buffalo
- Michael Butler, executive sous chef, MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. (Cohort 1 graduate)
- Gage Dawiedczyk, executive chef of restaurants, Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisc. (Cohort 3 graduate)
- Benjamin Kaye-Smith, sous chef, Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas (Cohort 1 graduate)
Returning executive chef mentors:
- Yuhi Fujinaga, culinary director, Patina Group
- Jerry Moynihan, The Squire at Grand Canyon in Tusayan, Ariz.
- Phillip Dumlao, Petco Park in San Diego
- Mark Szubeczak, Comerica Park in Detroit
- Troy Michalkiewicz, Little Caesars Arena in Detroit
- Ted Donnelly, UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y.
- Molly De Mers, Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle
- Evan Wargo, Patina 250 in Buffalo, N.Y.
- John Greenwald, Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack in Wheeling, W.Va.
- Zac Ladubec, Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisc.
- Larry Johnson, Busch Stadium in St. Louis