Growing up, Chef David Wakefield learned cooking techniques from his great-grandmother and took an interest in his grandfather’s cafe on the outskirts of Austin, Texas, learning how to cook Southern staples like catfish and hushpuppies.
After joining the United States Marine Corps at 18 years old and serving for four years stationed at Camp Pendleton, CA, Wakefield ended up back in the restaurant industry and quickly found his passion for back-of-house restaurant management. During this time, he gained managerial experience, opening several restaurant concepts in the Austin area and eventually finding his way to the Alinea Group. Which later then led him to Chicago.
Wakefield spent several years in the backcountry of Alaska as the Executive Chef of the Luxury Lodge, where he learned the art of sustainable cooking and preservation, everything from fly fishing to creating zero-waste dining off-the-grid.
After some time in Alaska, Wakefield headed to Chicago to fulfill his dream of working for the Alinea Group, where he was the sous chef at both Roister and St. Clair Supper Club for nine months. After a brief consulting job on Goose Island, Chef David met the co-owner of Farmheads Hospitality Group TJ Callahan, and the two hit it off from the start.
Now joining Callahan and the Farmheads Hospitality Group to be the Executive Chef at Farm Bar in Lakeview, David can reinvigorate his passion for sustainable dining by working to create Midwestern food for the Chicago community.
Chef David is looking forward to bringing his level-headed leadership approach to the Farm Bar culinary team, exhibiting the key mantra of “not asking a member of my team to do any job I wouldn’t do.”
When not in the kitchen, David is a current member of the Auxiliary Board for the Charlie Trotter Project and looks forward to having the opportunity to inspire the next generation here in Chicago. As a dog lover and owner of three himself (a Brindle Pitbull, a Miniature Bull Terrier, and a Chihuahua Weiner Dog), Lakeview residents can always find David putting dog treats out on the sidewalk outside of Farm Bar every afternoon before his shift.
Growing up, Chef David Wakefield learned cooking techniques from his great-grandmother and took an interest in his grandfather’s cafe on the outskirts of Austin, Texas, learning how to cook Southern staples like catfish and hushpuppies.
After joining the United States Marine Corps at 18 years old and serving for four years stationed at Camp Pendleton, CA, Wakefield ended up back in the restaurant industry and quickly found his passion for back-of-house restaurant management. During this time, he gained managerial experience, opening several restaurant concepts in the Austin area and eventually finding his way to the Alinea Group. Which later then led him to Chicago.
Wakefield spent several years in the backcountry of Alaska as the Executive Chef of the Luxury Lodge, where he learned the art of sustainable cooking and preservation, everything from fly fishing to creating zero-waste dining off-the-grid.
After some time in Alaska, Wakefield headed to Chicago to fulfill his dream of working for the Alinea Group, where he was the sous chef at both Roister and St. Clair Supper Club for nine months. After a brief consulting job on Goose Island, Chef David met the co-owner of Farmheads Hospitality Group TJ Callahan, and the two hit it off from the start.
Now joining Callahan and the Farmheads Hospitality Group to be the Executive Chef at Farm Bar in Lakeview, David can reinvigorate his passion for sustainable dining by working to create Midwestern food for the Chicago community.
Chef David is looking forward to bringing his level-headed leadership approach to the Farm Bar culinary team, exhibiting the key mantra of “not asking a member of my team to do any job I wouldn’t do.”
When not in the kitchen, David is a current member of the Auxiliary Board for the Charlie Trotter Project and looks forward to having the opportunity to inspire the next generation here in Chicago. As a dog lover and owner of three himself (a Brindle Pitbull, a Miniature Bull Terrier, and a Chihuahua Weiner Dog), Lakeview residents can always find David putting dog treats out on the sidewalk outside of Farm Bar every afternoon before his shift.
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