ETBU Chef Spotlight: Executive Chef Michael Cook

Executive Chef Michael Cook is celebrating his eighth anniversary at East Texas Baptist University, his ninth year with Sodexo.

“It feels like home here,” said Chef Cook. “ETBU students are great, which makes my job easier, and the staff are like family. They all play an important role and care about keeping our students happy.”

Chef Cook began his career in culinary while attending The University of Tennessee. He started at the Hyatt Regency in Knoxville as a breakfast cook and ended as an executive sous chef. He worked with the company for twelve years at three different hotels and trained under five different European chefs.

He then became an Executive Chef in Dalton, Georgia and later purchased the upscale restaurant where he worked. He also opened Michael’s Gourmet House and Amici's Italian Restaurant and became the preferred caterer for The Dalton Trade and Convention Center, feeding up to 2,000 people at a time.

Chef Cook was raised in Marryville, Tennessee at the foot of the Smokey Mountains. He has lived as far north as Trumbull, Connecticut and as far south as Miami, Florida.

His first Executive Chef position was in Charlotte, North Carolina in 1988. After only a month on the job, Chef Cook hosted The Chef's Academy Dinner for 400 of the top chefs from Europe and the United States.

He has cooked for two U.S. presidents, Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan.

Chef Cook favors Asian and Italian cooking and says that nothing beats a properly prepared Osso Bucco Veal shank.

“I feel you have to know the basics of cooking, mother sauces, cooking methods, and do not be afraid to try new things,” said Chef Cook. “I have over two hundred cookbooks. Just ask my wife.”