Chef John Andres
Meet the Staff
Chef John Andres, Chef Instructor
Chef John Andres started his career in the hospitality industry in high school, washing dishes and bussing tables at an independent living retirement community in his home town of Waterloo, Iowa.
Having played the violin since the age of three, John came to Des Moines to study music at Drake University and played with the Des Moines Symphony. While in college John worked at the Wakonda Country Club as a server and eventually as a line cook. He graduated from Drake with a B.S. in Business Administration, but knew that his passion was in the restaurant and hospitality industry.
Chef Andres followed his passion to the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. While in school Chef Andres had the opportunity to apprentice for the Certified Master Chef exam. He completed an externship at the Medinah Country Club in Medinah, IL working under Certified Master Chef Derin Moore; and worked at the Belvedere Mansion in the Hudson Valley, NY while working on his culinary education.
Upon graduation from the CIA, Chef Andres returned to Iowa and held several positions across the Des Moines metro including the Des Moines Golf & Country Club and as Sous Chef at Wakonda Country Club, where he redesigned purchasing operations, implementing changes that streamlined processes and increased efficiency and profitability.
Chef Andres joined the Renaissance Des Moines Savery Hotel team as Executive Chef and was later promoted to Executive Chef & Beverage Director. In this role he oversaw all food and beverage operations for the full-service hotel. During his time at the Savery, Chef Andres was a member of the hotel executive committee which provided organizational leadership, where he traveled for the Shaner Hotel Group to assist with special projects for the company. Some of his proudest moments were having a hands-on role in the concept development of BOS restaurant and shortly thereafter with the new lounge, Coda, which led to his award of Iowa Restaurant Association Chef of the Year in 2012.
In 2014 Chef Andres transitioned into culinary education when he became the Chef Instructor at Des Moines Public Schools’ Central Campus, Iowa’s premiere regional academy for advanced career studies. In this role he had the opportunity to coach and mentor national award-winning student teams in FCCLA and SkillsUSA. Under the direction of Chef Andres, Central Campus Culinary Arts was awarded the prestigious Advance CTE “Excellence in Action” Award within the Hospitality & Tourism Career Cluster, an honor designating his program as one of the best in the nation. Chef Andres currently serves as a chairman of the Iowa Restaurant Association Education Foundation Board of Directors.