Michael Thrash, CEC,CCA,CRC,WCMC,PCII,ACE

Chef Michael Thrash currently resides in Seminole, FL. He is currently the Corporate Executive Chef for The J.R. Simplot Company and is also a Chef Instructor at the Art Institute of Tampa.
After growing up in Rochester, NY with a very large family of great cooks and a rockstar cook in his Mother; Michael knew at a young age that food and cooking was a passion of his. After realizing that you could actually make a career out of it, he quickly joined the industry. Starting as a dishwasher and a bus boy, Michael quickly confirmed his passion for the business. While attending vocational Culinary Arts classes in high school, his skills became more refined.
Chef Thrash is a graduate of Johnson and Wales University in Providence, RI with a B.A.S. in Culinary Arts. He has over twenty two years of experience among nine different states, in restaurants, hotels, country clubs, higher education and corporate environments. Working for various companies like Boston University (Aramark), Disney, Lowes Hotels, Legal Seafoods, Hard Rock International and more.

Chef Thrash is:
-Certified Executive Chef (CEC) and Certified Culinary Administrator (CCA) through the American Culinary Federation (ACF)
-World Certified Master Chef (WCMC) through the World Association of Chefs Societies (WACS)
-Inducted Member of the World Master Chefs Society (MWMCS)
-Certified Research Chef (CRC) through the Research Chefs Association
-Maître Rotisseur with the Chaines des Rotisseurs
-ProChef Level II certification through the Culinary Institute of America (CIA)
-Currently holds the position of Vice President on the Board of the ACF Tampa Bay
-Approved Certification Evaluator (ACE) through the ACF
-Current Member of Culinary Olympic Team USA 2016-2020
-Numerous Silver medals have been awarded through ACF competitions throughout the years as well as champion of many other industry competitions
-Named 2017 Tampa Bay Chef of the Year
-Recipient of the ACF National President’s Medallion in 2018
- Featured in Numerous Publications, Magazines and Periodicals
-Featured Chef, Studio Guest Dining Out Radio Show, 2015-Present
-Featured in Episode of “What to Expect: Culinary Arts”, MTV, 2004