About Us
DAVID WENNERLYN
President/Owner
A Full Restaurant Operations Executive and culinary expert with more than four decades of experience, he brings an impressive portfolio of achievements focused on delivering unique dining experiences, exceptional customer service, strong organizational skills, and effective leadership while overseeing day-to-day restaurant operations. A former Certified Executive Chef with over 40 years of culinary experience, he has owned and operated fine dining restaurants specializing in both French and Italian cuisine. Throughout his career, he has had the privilege of working alongside renowned chefs such as
Paul Bocuse,
Daniel Boulud,
David Bouley, and
Alfred Portale in some of the world’s highest-ranked restaurants. He has successfully led daily operations, managing both front- and back-of-house teams while implementing cost management initiatives. Known for effectively communicating across all professional levels, he equips teams and staff with the training, tools, and capabilities needed to succeed, fostering environments built on confidence and trust while driving sustainable growth through expert P&L management and consistently achieving profitable results.
GREGG DOSTER
Director of Finances and Technology
Gregg Doster is a ten year plus hospitality veteran. Starting his career in the industry, Mr. Doster was responsible for finance and accounting operations for a multi unit restaurant group. Further building on this experience, he continues to work with many diverse restaurant outfits across the country.
Mr. Doster also has vast experience in technology enhancements, training improvements, and internal control measures to aid in restaurant efficiency. Driving the budget process and tracking accountability are other ways he helps restaurants maximize profits. Mr. Doster is a graduate of Michigan State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting.
CHEF TOM BECKMAN
Assistant Culinary Director
Tom has been in hospitality his entire career. He began in the airline industry and quickly moved on to culinary and Pastry hospitality in the early 1990s. He’s worked in restaurants and hotels in the Chicago area as a pastry and bread baking chef for many years.
His primary culinary experience over the last years has been with Le Cordon Bleu and Escoffier Cooking schools teaching budding students as an instructor for over 25 years. Chef Tom has been an educator and mentor to dozens and dozens of students who have gone on to become full-fledged chefs in their own right.
Tom’s true love is in Pastry and Baking. He has worked as a pastry chef for most of his career but is highly skilled in restaurant and hotel breadmaking as well. He is adept at the process of running culinary business and has consulted on profitable ideas for specific concepts in the restaurant industry.
LUKE FAIRBANK
Bar Operations Director
Luke has over 20 years experience in the restaurant industry with more than 12 years of experience specifically in food and beverage management. His expertise is in creating menus, increasing sales, controlling costs, implementing systems and training employees. He is an expert in front of house and bar operations. With his time in the industry, Luke has both overseen and consulted on bartender and server training, new beverage programs, new point of sale programming, and overall restaurant operations including new build-outs and expansions.
Luke creates unique and exciting beverage programs sure to create a buzz with guests while focusing on industry trends and the bottom line profit of the restaurant. His "Sales from Service" approach in training front of house staff has alone been responsible for turning restaurants from red to black. Luke's philosophy of a systems based approach to day-to-day operations ensures consistency for owners, employees, and their guests. With a unique experience of being involved in several different restaurant openings in his early career as a manager, Luke has honed these skills by building cohesive programs from the ground up.
