David Drake is a chef in New Jersey. He has worked at the Stage House Inn in

Scotch Plains, New Jersey Scotch Plains is a township in Union County, New Jersey, United States. The township is located on a ridge in northern- central New Jersey, within the Raritan Valley and Rahway Valley regions in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 201 ...

, established the restaurant David Drake with business partner Jim Kennedy in Rahway, New Jersey, and was executive chef at the Daryl Wine Bar in

New Brunswick, New Jersey New Brunswick is a city (New Jersey), city in and the county seat, seat of government of Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Corcoran, David
"New Jersey Dining / Lake Hopatcong - PHOTOS: A Star in the Kitchen Offers Hints of Summer"
'' The New York Times'', January 8, 2010. Accessed February 18, 2011. Drake is a single-handed and single-legged chef, as at age 14 he lost his left hand while alligator fishing.

Early life

Drake was born in

Summit, New Jersey Summit is a city in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The city is located on a ridge in northern- central New Jersey, within the Raritan Valley and Rahway Valley regions in the New York metropolitan area. At the 2010 United Sta ...

. He started out at 17 as a dishwasher at Chez Odette in New Hope, Pennsylvania.

Career

Drake became executive chef at the Frog and the Peach in New Brunswick. He also worked with chef Jean Francois Taquet, at the River Café with chef David Burke in Brooklyn, and at the Ryland Inn with chef

Craig Shelton Craig Anthony Shelton (born May 1, 1957) is a retired American basketball player. He played in parts of two seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Shelton, a 6'7" small forward from Dunbar High School in Washington, D.C., played ...

in Whitehouse. Credited as a "New Jersey pioneer of modern American cuisine with classic French roots," Drake had growing success until the rough patch in the economy took a toll on business starting in 2007.New Jersey restaurateurs share tips on finding good, cheap food
December 29, 2009 New York Times In 2010 he helped revamp Alice's Restaurant on Lake Hopatcong.

References

External links

Official homepage
Chefs from New Jersey American male chefs Living people People from Summit, New Jersey Year of birth missing (living people) {{Chef-bio-stub