IV The Culinary Professional
Chef John Draz received his associ-
ate’s 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 holds a bach-
elor’s degree in culinary management from
Kendall College in Evanston, Illinois. During
his nearly 30 years in the field, Chef Draz has
worked at numerous restaurants including
The Ritz-Carlton Chicago, The Winnetka
Grill, The Ninety-Fifth, and Café Provencal.
In 1983, Chef Draz was featured in the PBS
television series Great Chefs of Chicago.
Chef Draz was a founding faculty member
of the Kendall College School of Culinary Arts.
While serving on the faculty, he taught a
wide variety of subjects related to profes-
sional 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 certifica-
tions from the American Culinary Federation
including Certified Executive Chef and
Certified Culinary Educator.
In addition, Chef Draz has experienced
entrepreneurship as chef/owner of a 300-seat
fine-dining restaurant. He has extensive
consulting experience lending his talents to
numerous independent restaurants, corpora-
tions, and marketing organizations. Chef Draz
currently serves as Executive Research Chef
for Ed Miniat, Inc., a manufacturer of cooked
meat products. In this position, he develops
products and menu items for the frozen food
industry and national restaurant chains.
Chef Christopher Koetke is currently
Vice President of the School of Culinary
Arts Kendall College. Prior to this, he served
as dean of the School of Culinary Arts of
Kendall College. Before being named dean,
he was a chef instructor for six years, special-
izing in sauce making, charcuterie, and
ice carving. Chef Koetke has been cooking
professionally since 1982 in some of the
best restaurants and pastry shops in France,
Switzerland, and the United States. Before
coming to Kendall College in 1998, he was
the executive chef of Chicago’s critically
acclaimed Les Nomades restaurant.
Chef Koetke has received numerous
industry awards including Chef of the Year by
the Chicago chapter of the International Food
and Wine Society, ACF culinary competition
medals, and third place in the US finals of the
Bocuse d’Or. For several years, Christopher was
a contributing editor to Chef, Chef Educator
Today, and Fancy Food magazines. He currently
sits on numerous boards nationally, is an
elected commissioner of the American Culinary
Federation Foundation Accrediting Committee,
serves as a consultant to numerous foodservice
enterprises, judges national culinary competi-
tions, and frequently presents at professional
conferences and various international culinary
forums. Chef Koetke is often a guest on TV and
radio broadcasts in Chicago and has produced
numerous educational DVDs. He is also host
of his own TV show called Let’s Dish! on the
Live Well Network.
Chef Koetke has an MBA from Dominican
University, BA in French Literature from
Valparaiso University, and a Certificat de
la Langue Française from the Sorbonne in
Paris.
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