Chef Al Tholen
Al Tholen has over 50 years of hospitality industry experience and has been Corporate Executive Chef at
Casa Restaurant Chef since 2009.
He enjoys scuba diving, motorcycle riding, and of course spoiling his 5 children and 16 grandchildren.
Chef Will Passino
Chef Will Passino was born in Malone, New York and moved to southern Florida when he was nine years old. Spending his formative years in Florida gave Chef Will exposure to food from many different cultures and a great love of seafood. After leaving home, Chef Will spent time cooking in several states before settling in Fort Wayne in 1994 where he developed his cooking career to what it is today. Currently employed by Parkview Health as the Executive Chef Specialist at the Parkview Mirro Event Center.
Chef Mike Bentz
Mike Bentz has enjoyed a successful career for over 25 years in the restaurant and hotel industry. Most recently at Chop's Wine Bar, and creator of gourmet Crackerjack catering, Mike loves pushing the limits of culinary arts to impress and please his audiences.
http://www.crackerjackcatering.com/
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Chef Kevin Fredrickson
Kevin, formerly of Chop's Wine Bar and Baker Streer, has a degree in biochemistry, but found a love for the restaurant industry and has since turned his focus to creating great cuisine. His talents are obvious and he has a special touch for creating dishes for guests with dietary restrictions. The scratch kitchen here at Proximo is a perfect space for Kevin to work his magic. He has certainly brought a unique perspective to our restaurant. Oh and he loves cats too.
Chef Donna
Kessler
Donna Kessler attended Ivy Tech Community College in their culinary program and opened Calhoun Street Soups, Salads and Spirits in 2007. She then opened DLightfuls in the spring of 2018, specializing in Gluten Free and Vegan desserts. Although she has closed the storefront, Dlightfuls sells their products wholesale to Savery and the Three Rivers Co-op as well as continuing to do catering and custom baking orders
Chef Grayce Holloway
Grayce Holloway grew up in the kitchen watching her mom make immaculate wedding cakes, learning her special confection secrets and techniques. After spending 10 years of making cakes as a side hobby, she launched Icing for Izaac in March of 2019. A wife and mother of 4 with baby number 5 on the way, Izaac is her “baby b” of identical twin boys who passed away during her 2018 pregnancy. After suffering such a loss, baking cakes brought her joy that she thought she had lost forever. She donates 5% of her sales to Walk to Remember, an amazing group who organize the pregnancy and infant loss walk each year and helped her through her darkest hours. Her dream for the near future is to be able to leave the corporate world and pursue baking full time.
Chef Kaylah
Sink
Kaylah Sink started Kaylah's cupcakes and Confections in February 2016 out of her home. She started just doing the local farmers markets and eventually moved into her own place to expand. She continued to work her full time job but just recently left to pursue her bakery business full time. She loves creating unique cupcakes and cakes for people to fit any occasion. She creates desserts for weddings, graduations, birthdays, and much more! Because she does not have a storefront, she is able to cater to people further away by delivering their baked goods right to their door!
Chef Rosa
Ko
Coming from a family legacy of restaurateurs, Rosa Ko, owner of RoKo's Kitchen: at HT2, catering, and personal chef services, found her calling to serve and give back through food. Her family's Chicago restaurant was Michelin recommended in 2017; Rosa was a guest chef at Joseph Decuis for Blessings in a Backpack fundraising; she is an active member of her church's meal ministry; and she is now partnering with HT2 to offer future culinary adventures. She is excited to be a part of the Fort Wayne startup community and is looking forward to ensuring everyone has enough good food to eat!
