Like many professional and home cooks, Brian Ward started cooking in the kitchen with his momma.
“She’s the one who pushed me to follow my passion,” he says.
Westin executive chef Brian Ward, center, credits his two closest associates, sous chef Akila Battana, left, and executive sous chef Joseph Beasley, for the success of the food service at the upscale Chattanooga hotel.Following graduation from Sullivan University’s culinary program in Louisville, Kentucky, Ward went to work at several Nashville hotels before joining The Westin brand. He came to Chattanooga as executive chef of the new Westin hotel property shortly after its opening in the summer of 2017.
Q: What was your first restaurant job?
A: I was a buffet cook at Shoney’s.