About Us

Chef Shawn Kohlhaas, a seasoned 30 plus year veteran of the food service industry, has been leading the way in new and fresh approaches in the food service industry. His passions have been in farm-to-table initiatives with an emphasis on local, organic and sustainable practices.

At age 20, Shawn apprenticed under Master Chef Karl Wenzel and quickly absorbed the nature of the restaurant culture found along the eastern seaboard. Shortly after, Shawn's father founded and created the Mountain Creek Tavern Restaurant. For seven years they masterfully executed a fine dining experience in a country setting with a menu focused on local ingredients.

Shawn then moved on to be the Food Consultant of Lowe’s Foods. There, he sharpened his retail knowledge until he was offered the prestigious position of Executive Chef for NASCAR. Here, he was responsible for the dining needs of all officials and executives on the NASCAR circuit. This opportunity challenged him to source everything from linens and china to food and localized specialty items for races which were in different locations every week.

Shawn moved to Grand Rapids, MI in 2004 where he found a new frontier in food culture. He quickly became the Regional Culinary Services Manager for the Unidine Corporation. With Unidine, he helped guide many culinary aspects for over 180 food service accounts from small retirement communities to multi-conceptual hospitals. He was able to institute high sanitation standards from his extensive training as a ServSafe Instructor and Proctor.

Shawn has focused his career on systems, tools and operations for food service operations and their food safety practices across all lines of food service operations. Currently Shawn is the acting lead consultant and CEO of Culinary Cultivations. His time is mostly spent with clients working on thier operation needs by suporting them with other Culinary Cultivations consultant team members as well as Culinary Cultivations sytems, tools and operational intellectual properties to assist thier clients with any operational needs they have.

Currently:

• Principal and Lead Consultant for Culinary Cultivations.

• Chairman of the Board for the Greater Grand Rapids American Culinary Federation

• Member of the Food Safety Advisory Board for the Kent County Health Department

• Member of the Great Lakes Conference for Food Protection 

• Host of The Local Feed show on WYCE 88.1 FM Grand Rapids MI

• One of 20 instructors of over 10,000 instructors to help develop the Servsafe materials and program

• Co-founder and Culinary/Judging Chair of the American Cancer Society 's Taste of Hope Charity Event

• Nominations and Judging Chair of the West Michigan FAB Awards (Food and Beverage Industry Awards)

• Board Member of the Tip Jar Foundation

• Coordinator of the Grand Rapids American Culinary Federation Chef Awards

• Support Chair of the Feast for Kid's Charity Dinner to support Kid's Food Basket

• Founder and Coordinator of the Grand Rapids American Culinary Federation Chef Brew Contest and Brew Launch Awards event

Awards

• 2013 ACF Professional Chef of the Year for Grand Rapids

• 2014 ACF Chef of the Year for Grand Rapids

• 2016 GRAPE Award for Excellence in the Culinary Field for The Grand Rapids Area Professionals for Excellence

• 2017 ACF Specialty Business Award for Grand Rapids

• 2019 ACF Specialty Business Award for Grand Rapids

• 2020 ACF Specialty Business Award for Grand Rapids

• 2021 ACF Specialty Business Award for Grand Rapids

• 2022 ACF Gimod de la Reyniere Award for Grand Rapids

• 2023 American Cancer Society of West Michigan Volunteer of the Year award

• 2024 Honoree of the Chef Specialty Event for Meals on Wheels West Michigan

Meet Tina Femeyer, a dynamic and accomplished veteran of the restaurant industry with over 20 years of experience in restaurant and above-store management. With a passion for creating exceptional dining experiences, Tina has dedicated her career to delivering top-notch service, fostering a positive and stable work environment, and driving business growth and profitability. Throughout her journey, Tina has honed her skills in nearly every aspect of restaurant management, including operations, staff training, cost management, recruiting and HR as well as strategic planning and menu development. Her unwavering commitment to excellence has earned her a reputation for being a results-oriented leader who consistently exceeds expectations. She possesses an innate ability to streamline operations, optimize workflows, and maximize efficiency, all while maintaining the highest standards of quality and service. Locally, she has overseen operations for Donkey Taqueria, Winchester, What the Truck and Hancock as well as being a Regional Manager for the Michigan region of Condado Tacos. In addition to her operational expertise, Tina has a keen business acumen that has enabled her to develop and implement strategic initiatives that drive revenue and profitability. She is adept at identifying emerging trends in the industry, adapting to changing customer preferences, and leveraging marketing strategies to attract new patrons while maintaining a loyal customer base. Outside of work, Tina is an avid food enthusiast who constantly seeks inspiration from different culinary cultures and travel. She is active in her community and sits on the Board of her Neighborhood Association, enjoys yoga and spending time with her dog Rita. She is a graduate of Cincinnati State Technical Institute with a degree in Restaurant Management and Culinary Arts. Other professional certifications include a Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt and Cicerone Certification.

With nearly 20 years of experience in hospitality, Stephanie has developed a passion for managing teams and developing innovative training systems. After managing restaurants and other venues for more than a decade, she joined Culinary Cultivations in 2022 as the Recruiting and Event Team Manager. 

Danielle has spent over a decade in the hospitality industry, growing her skills and passion for food service. Her journey includes roles as a server, bartender, event lead and assistant general manager, where she gained valuable experience in team leadership, payroll, scheduling and ensuring smooth operations. She has a passion for creating memorable experiences for clients and colleagues, ensuring every detail contributes to success. She is excited to bring her expertise to the Culinary Cultivations corporate team, combining her love for the industry with administrative excellence.

Outside of work, Danielle cherishes spending time with her husband and their two daughters, creating meaningful memories together. 

George D Dennis, CEC CCE AAC 

Chef George has worked in both the culinary industry and in culinary educational environments for the past 40 years.  During his time in the hospitality industry, he has held positions as corporate Sous Chef for Azar’s Food and Lodging specialty division, Executive Chef at Fredericksburg Country Club, Gabriel’s Restaurant, Point West Inn and University Club of Grand Rapids.   

Chef George has taught various courses at the beginning and advanced stages of Hospitality, Culinary Arts and Baking and Pastry Arts for West Michigan Academy of Hospitality Sciences and Kent Intermediate Schools and is a member of the National Restaurant Association and American Culinary Federation. 

Chef George is a past secondary school member of the accreditation commission for American Culinary Federation Educational Foundation.  In addition, he still works with the ACFEF accreditation commission as a team lead working to validate institution’s self-study work for application and consideration to become an accredited secondary or post-secondary school in Food and Beverage Management, Culinary Arts or Baking and Pastry Arts. 

Rick Persson, BS, MPA, CDM, CFPP, ServSafe Instructor

Over the past 30 years, Rick has taken several operational systems from contracted management to self operation within healthcare food service. Within this realm, he has worked with call center based and hostess based room service. Has initiated and implemented new software programs and modules for room service and retail operations. Rick's areas of Expertise focus in Customer Experience Management, Team Building, Training and Development, Change Management, Budgeting and Forecasting, Project Management, Lean Methodology, Process Improvement, Key Relationship Management, Vendor Relations and Communications.

In the past Rick has managed union and non-union staff (supervisory and hourly); promoted employee engagementand team development; pursued customer experience excellence practices; utilized lean and six sigma methodologies in process improvement activities in the pursuit of service excellence, developed and administered operating and capital budgets, engaged in relationships with stakeholders to include administration, community and vendors.

Rick enjoys College Football, Managing his financial portfolio, Bourbon, Walking, Reading and Fantasy Football and Baseball

April went to Columbus State Community College (CSCC) and obtained her Associate's Degree in Culinary Arts (2020) and Baking and Pastries (2023). She graduated with honors as Magna Cum Laude both times. She is a a Certified Sous Chef (CSC) and a Certified Pastry Chef (CPC). She has a deep passion for ServSafe and working on becoming a Health Inspector.

Tim has over 40 years of restaurant management experience including 15 y as managing partner of Champps Americana. He also has a strong background in events planning and catering and has been the principle organizer for many charitable golf fundraisers. Tim has been married for 40 years and has two children Stephanie and Tim as well as 2 granddaughters. Tim currently resides in Columbus Ohio.

Phinn likes to visit the office and bring joy to our team and clients alike. He likes walks, peanut butter, his toys and  most of all he loves his family.