CHEF DAVID JAMES ROBINSON
Chef David James Robinson is fast becoming one of the most exciting chefs around today. His cooking-based comprehensive 10-DVD and streaming system – often described as an incredibly essential video cookbook for anyone interested in cooking – is called Learn How to Cook (and eat your mistakes)! It has premiered to great acclaim and, like Chef David, continues to find legions of fans across the country.
Chef David Robinson with Secretary of State Colin Powell
Chef David’s friendly style, welcoming personality and “Can-Do” spirit are on display for tens of thousands of people each week, either via television, the web or in-person appearances. Chef David created and hosted a 14-part cooking series on Weekend Today on NBC/Albany – and has also made over 50 live appearances on the TV program. Additionally, he andLearn How to Cook are now teaching huge numbers of people across the country about the in’s and out’s of simple, easy, fun and delicious cooking – all in a simple and profound “Can-Do” style – now including users in Canada, Australia, South Africa and Japan.
Chef David is also proud to have created Culinary Command Training, an elite and intensive culinary training program for returning U.S. veterans, as well as active military to help them transition into restaurant, hotel, food service and hospitality careers.
Chef David Teaching at an Event for Price Chopper Supermarkets
Chef David has been cooking and sharing his joy of food for more than 30 years. For 15 years, he was Executive Chef and Owner of Bezalel Gables Fine Catering & Events in New York’s Hudson Valley, which as a chef, caterer and event planner features luxuriously handcrafted food from home-smoked salmon to artisanal breads; from fresh-made mozzarella to growing his own herbs; from hand-dipped chocolates to ice cream spun from fresh cream milked by hand.
Chef David’s roster of clients and supporters is profound and humbling. He has created menus and events for President George W. Bush, Vice President Al Gore, Senator & Mrs. Edward Kennedy, MTV Networks, The Public Theater, Governor Sarah Palin, Brides magazine, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Academy-Award winner Philip Seymour Hoffman, Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa of Los Angeles, legendary artist Elsworth Kelly, oil billionaire T. Boone Pickens, Real Simple magazine, Secretary of State Colin Powell, Prime Minister of Great Britain Gordon Brown, New York Jets Coach Rex Ryan, Senator Chris Dodd, Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval, and Anthony Scaramucci of SkyBridge Capital.
His events have included an old-fashioned barn dance, private dinners at the Bellagio Hotel and Resort in Las Vegas, an exotic Ugandan celebration, a mountaintop wedding for 200, a martini party in a Manhattan penthouse, a county-fair-themed party covering ten acres, and a two-week, 6-port birthday extravaganza on the legendary ocean liner Queen Mary 2. He has produced menus, food, floral design and décor for 550 full-scale weddings, events, parties, fundraisers and banquets.
In total, he has fed more than 35,000 happy guests to date.
Chef David has many ties to the culinary world. He has created recipes and cooking workshops for Different Drummer’s Kitchen Co., where he regularly teaches cooking classes, the American Dairy Council and Price Chopper Supermarkets. He has also written for many home and entertaining magazines and books, including a column on herbs with recipes for Culinary Celebrations Magazine and was the restaurant critic for Hudson Valley Inside Out Magazine. He was also on the Advisory Board for DinnerWhere? magazine. Robinson contributed the section on Boutique Catering to the book Food Jobs by Irena Chalmers, which won the Gourmand Award out of Paris for the best book in the world for food professionals.
Chef David trained at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park (Dean’s List, High-Impact Leadership Scholar) and the Institute of Culinary Education in Manhattan. He is co-founder of Columbia County Bounty, a landmark initiative that connects local farms to local restaurants and chefs in upstate New York. He has working relationships with 30 farms and vineyards for sourcing the freshest ingredients. He has hosted demonstrations and workshops for Eat Smart New York and Cornell and consulted on menu development and recipe creation for regional restaurants. He has appeared as a panelist for the International Association of Culinary Professionals.
In his former life, Chef David was a Vice President at Manhattan ad agency Kirshenbaum & Bond, where he worked on branding campaigns for Dom Pérignon, Grand Marnier, Stella Cheeses, Rioja Wines from Spain and Snapple.
He is an avid jazz fan and now makes his home in beautiful Salt Lake City. His joy comes from teaching people the wonders of food and how to cook.
