www.GoodMorningGwinnett.com Chef Hank Reid Hank Reid is the Founder and Executive Director of Trinity Community Culinary Institutes, Inc. a non-profit organization purposed to establish an educational and creative learning program, offering classroom instruction, seminars, workshops and employment training to the local community in a recreational environment in the area of Culinary Arts. The foundation of TCCI is strengthened upon the desire to support the everyday challenges parents face to help their young adult sons and daughters transition into self-sufficient, productive adults. In 1990 Chef Hank made the transition from the Architectural Engineering field to pursue his underlying passion for Culinary Arts. While studying Mathematics at Clark-Atlanta University as a Dual Degree Major he combined his entrepreneurial spirit and his culinary skills and starting a catering business from his dorm room. Armed with only a hot plate and a toaster oven Chef Hank realized he had the gift to do a lot with very little. A true Southerner from Griffin Georgia, a small town forty miles south of Atlanta, Chef Hank began to worry less about how he would fund his education in the engineering field and more about how he could explore his talent for cooking. Rather than totally abandoning a career in Engineering, Chef Hank transferred to Southern Polytechnic in Marietta, GA to pursue an Architectural degree while working in the Baking and Pastry department of the Atlanta Hilton and Towers in downtown Atlanta. Unable to share his love for Culinary Arts with the pursuit of an Architectural degree, Chef Hank made a full commitment to his passion and enrolled in the Culinary Arts program at the Art Institute of Atlanta and accepted a part-time position at a prestigious fine dining establishment, Carbo s Café and a full-time position with Houston s as a lead production Chef. As Chef Hank excelled in and earned his degree at the Art Institute, he took an active handson learning approach to his training by working through the ranks of a popular string of Liberty House Restaurant Group establishments; OK Café, Blue Ridge Grill, Kudzu Café and Bones. In 1994, Hank was appointed the Executive chef of Lulu s Bait Shack Restaurant and Bar, specializing in Louisiana Creole cuisine, in the popular Buckhead community known for its active night-life and multitude of restaurant and bar options. From there continued his Cajun Cuisine tour as the Executive Chef at Comeuax s Louisiana Bar and Grill. In 1999 Chef Hank would work
his way into the dual role of Executive Chef and Assistant General Manager of Cripple Creek Taphouse and Grill, an upscale lodge theme casual dining concept in the fast growing suburbs of Gwinnett County located north of Atlanta. Throughout his culinary endeavors, Chef Hank always made time for kids in his community. As a volunteer baseball coach for the DeKalb County Recreation Department, Hank not only excelled as a Chef, husband and Father, he embraced the responsibility of mentoring young men and women in that community. In 2000 Chef Hank moved to Snellville, GA with his wife Rachael and two sons Davonta and Chace and immediately fell in love with the community. There was an instant desire to get involved as he did in DeKalb County so he repositioned himself in the culinary industry by accepting a position as General Manager of Woody s Barbeque located right in the heart of the Snellville Community. The blessings for Hank and his family continued. The convenience of a position at a restaurant very close to home was topped by the birth of Hank and Rachael s third, fourth and fifth children, triplet daughters; Niiah, Neeyah and Neenah. As his culinary career continued to thrive as Chef Hank remained focused on his efforts in the community. As the founder of Trinity Athletics of Snellville, Hank established this non-profit organization to support the youth in the...
