David Iott, Culinary Educator & Training Executive Chef

Chef David Iott grew up in Oklahoma in a family that understood that eating “seasonally” was an essential ingredient to good living and the “farm to table” culture was a way of life. After graduating from the Culinary Arts program at the Art Institute of Atlanta in 1996, he apprenticed at the Ritz Carlton Buckhead during the Atlanta Olympics. David made an impression at the Ritz and worked his way through the many different kitchens at the hotel. In 2001, he was promoted to Chef de Cuisine for the Ritz Carlton and spent time in many locations, including downtown Atlanta, Half Moon Bay, and San Francisco.

David joined Stanford University in 2004 as a Chef de Cuisine. During his time at the University, he has been involved in the development of many leading-edge culinary initiatives on campus. Some of these include the athletic training table, Performance Dining, allergen awareness, and the gluten-free dining platforms. David was the opening Executive Chef at the university’s newest and largest dining facility, Arrillaga Family Dining Commons, which also houses the Central Production Kitchen for the 11 dining halls on campus and several of its cafes.

Currently, David is the Executive Chef and Culinary Educator at the Teaching Kitchen @ Stanford, which is home to a groundbreaking cooking education program that launched in January 2015 in partnership with celebrity chef Jamie Oliver and the Jamie Oliver Food Foundation. In this role, David has developed curriculum and conducted cooking classes for more than 300 Stanford students in support of the academic mission of the University. In October 2015, David, who is certified in the Jamie Oliver Food Foundation cooking curriculum, began overseeing Jamie Oliver's Cook Smart Program at the Teaching Kitchen @ Stanford, which is a quarterly, nine-week culinary education program using Jamie’s hands-on cooking curriculum, healthy recipes and inspiring teaching style.