KENNETH GOODMAN

Ken Goodman was 15 years old when he began his food career as a dishwasher in his native Philadelphia. By the age of 18, Ken was a lead cook and about to begin his formal training at the world renowned culinary school, Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI.

In 1991, upon graduation from Johnson & Wales, Ken moved to Key West, FL to apprentice under James Beard Award winning Chef Norman Van Aken at Louie's Backyard. In 1993, Ken accepted the role of Executive Chef at the Historic La Concha Hotel where he opened two restaurants and received several awards for the Best Key Lime Pie in Florida Keys. 

In 1995, Ken moved to Cambridge, MA to joined forces with famed chef and James Beard Award winning cookbook author, Chris Schlesinger, at the nationally recognized East Coast Grill. Ken was promoted to Executive Chef in 1996 and oversaw the restaurant's expansion to more than twice its origional size before departing in 1998. 

From 1998 to 2002, Ken worked as an independent restaurant consultant specializing in restaurant openings, menu development, cost controls, and staffing for restaurants in Massachusetts, Maine, and Rhode Island.

From 2003 to 2008, Ken held the position of Department Chair for Culinary and Pastry Arts at The Art Institute of New York City. Ken was responsible for overseeing the development of more than 1000 culinary students and managed a team of 25 Chef Instructors. Ken also drove the restructuring and re-branding of the national culinary curriculum as a member of The Art Institute's National Curriculum Board. 

In 2008, Ken accepted the position of Food & Beverage Director at 92YTRIBECA, a branch of the highly regarded 92^nd Street Y in New York City. Ken oversaw the construction and opening of the facility which features a night club, private screening room and kosher cafe while hiring and training an opening staff of 20 employees.

Most recently Ken has developed into a freelance photographer with published work soon appearing in the stunning periodical, Art Culinaire. Ken specializes in candid family shots, urban scenery, landscapes, and above all, food photography. Ken also continues his work as a restaurant consultant, both independently and as an account executive for the New York office of Real Food Consulting.

Ken is a dedicated spokesperson for Share Our Strength and has volunteered over 3000 service hours since 1991 in support of their mission to End Childhood Hunger in America. Accolades for Ken from Share Our Strength include induction into the Operation Frontline Hall of Fame in 1999, Chef of the Year in 2000, and an award for Community Leadership in 2009. Since 2006, Ken has volunteered as New York City Event Chair for Taste of the Nation, helping to raise over one million dollars for hunger relief agencies in New York on behalf of Share Our Strength.

Ken also competes nationally as a member of the professional barbecue team, IQUE. The team is currently ranked among the top professional barbecue competition teams in the United States by the Kansas City BBQ Society and most recently won the prestigious Grand Champion award at the 2009 Jack Daniel's World BBQ Invitational in Lynchberg, TN . 

Ken lives in Nyack, NY with his wife Jessica and their two children, Sadie and Henry.      

KenGoodmanPhotography@gmail.com