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Alex Askew
President
Professional Bio
At 14 he received his first job offer as a personal chef through a high school vocational work
program and after 6 years of working in a variety of restaurants in and out of New York City
decided to attend the Culinary Institute of America. The newest core program, “Mindful Eating for the Beloved Community” has gathered National attention for bringing Food, Race, and Social Justice to the forefront while focusing on training chefs of color as Health Equity Ambassadors to produce healthy and whole communities.
Alex has enjoyed guest appearances on Good Morning America, CBS Early Morning Show, and
the Food Network. He was a Distinguished Visited Chef (DVC) for Sullivan University, visiting
professor at the School of Hotel and Tourism-Hong Kong Polytechnic University, 2011
Business Leader of Year from the Marcella Brown Foundation, in May 2012 received the
distinguished New York Institute of Technology Global Leadership Award and served on the
American Culinary Federation Accreditation Commission. In 2014 Alex was selected as a
National Kellogg Fellow Leader in the Racial, Equity and Healing (REH) cohort. In 2020 Alex
was awarded the Castanea Fellowship in Food Systems Leadership. In 2021 Alex was selected
as an International cohort member of the UN Food Summit and OpenIDEO -Rockefeller
Foundation Game Changer in Food Systems. In 2023 appointed as Senior Fellow at ALF
(Alliance of Leadership Fellows).
With over 35 years in the restaurant and hospitality field Alex continues his use of knowledge
and experience as a foundation for further growth and development in the culinary industry and
continues the important social change work using food as a nexus and mindful eating as a
platform to improve lives with resiliency in communities worldwide.
program and after 6 years of working in a variety of restaurants in and out of New York City
decided to attend the Culinary Institute of America. The newest core program, “Mindful Eating for the Beloved Community” has gathered National attention for bringing Food, Race, and Social Justice to the forefront while focusing on training chefs of color as Health Equity Ambassadors to produce healthy and whole communities.
Alex has enjoyed guest appearances on Good Morning America, CBS Early Morning Show, and
the Food Network. He was a Distinguished Visited Chef (DVC) for Sullivan University, visiting
professor at the School of Hotel and Tourism-Hong Kong Polytechnic University, 2011
Business Leader of Year from the Marcella Brown Foundation, in May 2012 received the
distinguished New York Institute of Technology Global Leadership Award and served on the
American Culinary Federation Accreditation Commission. In 2014 Alex was selected as a
National Kellogg Fellow Leader in the Racial, Equity and Healing (REH) cohort. In 2020 Alex
was awarded the Castanea Fellowship in Food Systems Leadership. In 2021 Alex was selected
as an International cohort member of the UN Food Summit and OpenIDEO -Rockefeller
Foundation Game Changer in Food Systems. In 2023 appointed as Senior Fellow at ALF
(Alliance of Leadership Fellows).
With over 35 years in the restaurant and hospitality field Alex continues his use of knowledge
and experience as a foundation for further growth and development in the culinary industry and
continues the important social change work using food as a nexus and mindful eating as a
platform to improve lives with resiliency in communities worldwide.