At Ball State Dining, you'll benefit from the creations of our well-trained and experienced chefs. Check out their profiles below.
Chef Jason Reynolds, a Muncie native, has been a member of the American Culinary Federation (ACF), East Central Indiana Chapter, since 1993. He is a 1994 graduate of Vincennes University, where he earned an associate degree in culinary arts. After graduation, he worked for the Radisson Hotel in Indianapolis and Woodland Country Club in Carmel, Indiana. In 1998, he traveled on a 13-day culinary educational tour of western France. In September 1998, he joined the Ball State Dining staff as sous chef and has worked at LaFollette Square, The Atrium, and his current post in the Student Center Tally Food Court, where you'll find him interacting with customers and serving his popular specialty lunch entrees at the Chef's Station.
In September 2001, Reynolds earned the certification and title of certified chef de cuisine (CCC). He has attended a number of ACF and National Association of College and University Food Service (NACUFS) regional and national conferences, competing in several culinary competitions. He also has also served on the national committee for the NACUFS National Culinary Challenge competition, and ACF-sanctioned competition. In 2008, Reynolds won the NACUFS midwest region's Culinary Challenge and advanced to compete in the national competition in Washington, D.C. Reynolds also conducts departmental training and lends his talents to Cooking Live events.
Chef Aaron P. Gnap, a native of Barberton, Ohio, is a graduate of Johnson and Wales University in Charleston, South Carolina, where he earned an associate degree in culinary arts. He came back to the Midwest from Walt Disney World Resorts. At Tony's Town Square in the Magic Kingdom and the Wilderness Lodge Resort, he learned much about four-star culinary techniques.
Gnap also has worked for Portage Country Club in Akron, Ohio, and Sodexo-Marriott, and he has competed in culinary competitions for FHA/FCCLA, winning two silver medals. He is excited to be on a college campus and strives to serve the best cuisine possible as the chef at The Atrium.
Chef Cameron Griggs, originally from Mooresville, Indiana, has experience as pastry chef at the Conrad Hotel and Bon Appetite in Indianapolis and The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel in The Woodlands, Texas. He is a 2005 graduate of Johnson and Wales University in Denver, Colorado, and holds an associate of science degree in baking and pastry arts.
Griggs enjoys creating new ways to display food for presentation (plating) and likes to decorate cakes. In his spare time, he plays a variety of sports and spends time with his family and friends. He is the pastry chef at Woodworth Commons, supervises preparation and service, conducts departmental training, and performs display cooking at Cooking Live events.
Chef Allen White, a Muncie native, graduated from Johnson and Wales University with an associate degree in culinary arts. He joined the Ball State Dining staff in August 1997 as one of the first two chefs hired by the university. He supervises preparation and service in Noyer Centre, conducts departmental training, and showcases his talents while sharing cooking techniques at Cooking Live events.
White is a founding member of the Jersey Shore Chef Association and a charter member of the American Culinary Federation (ACF), East Central Indiana chapter. He has attended several ACF and National Association of College and University Food Service (NACUFS) regional and national conferences, competing in several culinary competitions. He has earned two bronze medals and an honorable mention in ACF hot food competitions.
Chef Shannon Eastes, a native of Anderson, Indiana, is a 1996 graduate of Scottsdale Culinary Institute in Arizona, earning an associate degree in occupational studies in culinary arts. She has experience working in corporate dining and catering with Compass Group in accounts such as American Funds and Conseco. She also has worked for restaurants in the Muncie and Indianapolis areas, including Foxfires, Le Peep, and Macaroni Grill.
Eastes' experience at BSU includes several years as the chef in University Catering at Ball State. She is currently the chef in LaFollette Square, where her duties include supervising food preparation and service. In her hours away from the kitchen, she enjoys spending time with her children, sports, and working out.
Chef Lucas Miller, originally from Anderson, Indiana, graduated from Purdue University with a bachelor of science degree in hospitality and tourism management. While in college, he worked at the Jinling Hotel in Nanjing, China, and traveled extensively throughout China to gain a better understanding of its people and culture.
After graduation, Miller furthered his culinary education by attending the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, New York. He also worked at the Ritz-Carlton Mellenia Singapore under venerated Chef Christophe Megel. In Asia for the second time, he explored the diversity of southeast Asia to better enhance his culinary repertoire. He came to Ball State as a chef at LaFollette Square, and he is now the manager of menu development and test kitchen for Ball State Dining. Chef Miller is the president of the American Culinary Federation (ACF), East Central Indiana Chapter.
Chef Dana Roberts, a native of Marion, Indiana, attended Eastbrook High School and graduated in 2007 from Sullivan University in Louisville, Kentucky, with an associate degree in culinary arts and hospitality services. She gained her four-star dining experience in Louisville while working at restaurants such as Café Metro and Jack Fry’s.
Roberts joined Ball State Dining in 2008 and can be found in the heart of the campus at Woodworth Commons, where she conducts departmental training, supervises food preparation and service, and performs display cooking.
Chef Martin Davis grew up on a fish farm in Muskegon, Michigan, about five minutes from Lake Michigan. Prior to his culinary training, Davis gained experience in food service at Applebee’s, TGI Fridays, Chili’s, and Ruby Tuesday’s, eventually managing an independently owned Italian restaurant, Amore, in North Muskegon, Michigan.
He then decided to attend the Culinary Arts Program at Baker College. Upon graduation, Davis accepted a management position at The Kirby House in Grand Haven, Michigan. Wanting to move about a little, Davis moved to Las Vegas to help manage the privately owned East Coast Pizza, then moved back to Michigan to take a sous chef position at Dockers Fish House. Davis then moved to Indiana to start the next chapter in his culinary career at Ball State University Dining, where he is a chef in Noyer Centre.