Wake’s Director of Culinary Development Brings Home the Gold

This week, we’re proud to celebrate our Director of Culinary Development, Jonathan Burns (left), for bringing home the gold medal from the National ACE Cooking Competition earlier this month.

Chef Burns began his journey to the top by winning first place at the Harvest Table Regional ACE Competition in March. In July, he advanced to the second round in Napa, California, where he once again impressed the judges and secured a spot among the top three finalists heading to the national stage. Since then, he’s been honing his skills in the kitchen, preparing for the ultimate challenge.

The grand finale took place in Philadelphia, where finalists were grouped into teams of three and tasked with creating dishes using a mystery basket of ingredients. The basket included: Maryland Blue Crab, sorghum, bone-in A5 ribeye, chicken thigh, leeks, pears, IPA beer, and broccoli rapini. Partnered with Matt Kuver from Knoxville, TN, and Miles Hamilton from Fairfield, CT, Chef Burns took the lead in crafting the entrée and salad portions of the meal—demonstrating creativity, precision, and teamwork under pressure.

Reflecting on the experience, Chef Burns shared:

“It was life-changing and a great learning moment. I highly recommend it to any culinarian who wants to truly push themselves to see what they are made of.”

A proud North Carolina native, Chef Burns brings passion, creativity, and heart to every dish. Trained at a local ACF culinary school, his journey has taken him from shoveling coals in BBQ pits to preparing multi-course meals for celebrities. Now, as our Culinary Director, he champions third-party certified products and supports sustainably operated small-scale farmers—building trust and transparency in the origins of our food.

We are incredibly proud of Chef Burns and his outstanding representation of Wake Forest and Harvest Table on a national stage. His dedication and success inspire us all, and we look forward to seeing more of our talented culinary team follow in his footsteps in the years to come.