Chef David Nelson

David began his career in 1971, at the age of fourteen, as a dishwasher at a small Country Inn in New Hampshire where he grew up. After High School, he went through "basic training" at Johnson and Wales Culinary Institute in Providence, Rhode Island.

In 1983, he settled in Steamboat Springs, Colorado as chef and general manager of the Pine Grove Restaurant until late 1989. After that he was a general manager at La Montana restaurant in Steamboat Spring until an opportunity arose to run a restaurant as a partner in Breckenridge, Colorado. That turned out to be a scam and he returned to Steamboat to open a real Texas style smokehouse restaurant.

He continued his education in a Resort Management program in the local branch of The Colorado Mountain College system and ultimately ended up as a part time instructor there. Certified as an instructor with AH&MA, he taught courses in Food Production, Food and Beverage Control and Purchasing for the Hospitality Industry. He also served on the Advisory Board as an industry representative to provide expertise and guidance in the development of the Resort Management Degree Program.

In 1991, David left the kitchens for a few years and became a corporate chef/sales associate, specializing in the sales of wild game and specialty foods. This opportunity allowed him to travel around the country, meeting chefs from all types of restaurants. He has taught cooking classes, been a guest chef in various parts of the country, given seminars on the benefits of serving wild game at Colorado State University, and has won numerous cooking competitions. His credits or recipes have been acknowledged in national and regional publications, such as Cooking Light magazine, Restaurant News of the Rockies and Food Arts. He had two wild game soup recipes published in Janie Hibler's cookbook, Wild about Game and has recipes published in Americans Cook Cookbook, Steamboat Entertains Cookbook, Steamboat Seasons Cookbook. and on numerous websites.

In 1999 he co-founded Chef2Chef.net, the Internet’s largest Culinary Portal. He and his wife Pamela’s latest endeavor is raising money for culinary students in the U.S. and abroad. They and chefs from around the globe find creative ways to raise money and disperse grants twice a year. Visit Chefs4Students.org for more details.