Chef Brad Verberg
I have always had a passion for food. My love of cooking first began during my childhood in Grand Rapids, Michigan I was taught the "old fashioned" way - in the kitchen alongside my grandmother and father. However, as an adult I spent years working the front of the house being a server, bartender, etc., then moved into the corporate world and worked in Public Relations and Intellectual Property Law; but I never forgot the time spent preparing meals with my family. At the age of 40 my undeniable passion for the culinary arts was reawakened. I embarked on a path toward a career in the culinary arts and I’ve never looked back. My culinary journey began in Grand Rapids, MI where I enrolled at the Secchia Institute of Culinary Education. Attending the institute paved the way to an internship in the South of France in Villeneuvette and Montpellier. Now I have returned to give back to the city where it all began by infusing every meal with fun, love and creativity. I hope you’re hungry.
Chef Cassondra Dishon
My name is Cassondra Dishon and I am the Executive Chef for Main Dish - Personal Chef Services. Currently focused on making healthful meals accessible to the community, by giving personalized fully cooked and cooled prepped meals at convenient costs.
Chef Jenn Struik
Inspired at a young age by food science and a lot of Alton Brown’s show “Good Eats”, Chef Jenn Struik pursued a career intertwining human nutrition with culinary arts. As both a chef and registered dietitian, Jenn creates food that serves a nutritional purpose yet packs a culinary punch of flavor. Chef Jenn has played a role in several culinary fundraiser events around West Michigan, such as West MI Farm to Table, March of Dimes Signature Chefs Auction, Taste of Hope, Kids Food Basket Farm to Table, and Chopped GR. Following a tough 2019 in which Jenn was involved in a serious car accident, she was determined to make 2020 a year to remember. Throughout 2020, Chef Jenn was named one of the “40 Under 40 Business Leaders” by the Grand Rapids Business Journal, “Emerging Leader” at the West Michigan Woman Brilliance Awards and topped it off with a Food Network win on the show “Supermarket Stakeout”. In 2022, she followed up her Food Network success by competing on “Chopped” and taking the runner-up spot. Currently, Chef Jenn is working within the Secchia Institute for Culinary Education as an Assistant Professor and in her free time, continues to do culinary pop-up dinners and private events.
Chef Darrin Mayweather
Chef Darrin Mayweather is a personal/ private chef who was born and raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan and provides services to clients throughout the entire state. His love for culinary began when he was a dietary aide in an assisted living facility at the age of 16. He would later go on to graduate from Secchia Institute of Culinary Education with an Associate Degree in Applied Arts and Sciences in 2014 and secured his bachelor degree in Hospitality Management from Ferris State University in 2020. Chef Darrin is the Director of Hospitality at The 1530 Events venue and co-owner and executive chef of Social Arts LLC. Darrin enjoys combining his passion for food with creating unique menus and experiences for his clients.
Chef Brittany Essenmacher
Chef Brittany is a personal chef in the Grand Rapids area with a focus on events and retreat cooking. She spent her childhood in Texas and later moved to Michigan, instilling in her a love for southern food and Michigan’s beautiful selection of fruits and vegetables. She graduated from the Secchia Institute for Culinary Education in 2023 and enjoys developing custom client menus, with a distinct passion for Italian cuisine. She is the owner of Provisions Chef Services, offering creative catering utilizing local products and sustainable food practices.
Provisions Chef Services