“A visiting celebrity chef from a large culinary event walked through our kitchen and referred to it as ‘the happiest kitchen on earth’.” – John Doody

Chef John has always felt at home around good food, having held just about every food service position from dishwasher in a small local restaurant to his current standing as Executive Chef and Culinary Director with Kelber Catering

The Making of an Executive Chef

At 16, Chef John worked at a neighborhood Chinese restaurant discovering food service was fun and rewarding. After obtaining his Culinary Arts Degree, John’s talents were acknowledged with increased leadership responsibilities at a number of restaurants. His career as Executive Chef and Manager at Dudley Riggs/Hay City Stage led to a move to Colorado, then Arizona learning the corporate side of the food industry with companies like Dominos Pizza.

Returning to MN in 1995, John began working for the Minneapolis Convention Center as a Pantry Lead. His excellent culinary and people skills brought promotions to Executive Sous Chef in 1997 and Executive Chef & Culinary Director in 2016.

Why John joined Kelber Catering

“Kelber Catering allowed me to put down roots and really utilize my skills and interests to grow with someplace special.” – John Doody

Chef John values Kelber Catering’s partnership with the City of Minneapolis . To deliver a superior dining for all Minneapolis Convention Center guests, John stays current on tastes and trends. He enjoys developing new, emerging menu concepts that have not hit the convention market. He and his crew prepare sit-down meals for 2,000 that look and taste as if they were ordered from an ala carte menu.

Through Chef John’s leadership his team’s accomplishments include serving 78,000 breakfasts, lunches and dinners to an International Software Partners Conference, and accolades from the MN Department of Health on the superb cleanliness level demonstrated by Kelber Catering while serving thousands of Super Bowl LII guests.

When Chef John’s white hat is resting on a shelf in his lovely home in Saint Paul, he shelters abandoned, abused, and expectant dogs. John loves cooking at home and still prepares the first dishes he learned in that Chinese restaurant.