Welcome to Chef O's Place
Chef O's Place Mission:
To provide a cooking show that enhances a healthy life style of
eating for everyone and to teach the utilization of natural or
organic foods to improve health and reduce health risks.
Latest News
2012 Chef O Receives New Kidney Transplant!
From Chef O: "I will never look at Friday the 13th as a bad luck day anymore! On January 13, 2012, I got a call that I was to be a kidney transplant recipient. I rushed in, the operation was a success and everything is looking good so far! Thank you for everyone's support and prayers during this recovery time."
2010 "Best Instructional Programming" by Philo T. Fransworth, for the 10th time!
The Award Ceremony was bittersweet and held this year here in Grand Rapids. After 11 years, 312 shows and 10 awards, I am going to walk away from it and stay busy in the cooking world for all my fans! Keep the events coming everyone, I'm open and available!
May 25, 2010 The Exceptional Performance Challenge
Chef O teams up with Baxter Healthcare in asking Dialysis Facilities to take part in the Exceptional Performance Challenge. Tell Chef O what it means to be an Exeptional Performance Facility and your staff and patients could win a two-day, dialysis-friendly cooking workshop at your facility conducted by Chef O! Visit Baxter Healthcare to learn more.
UPDATE: View the results! www.xeniumxph.com
2009 Named "Best Live Programming" & "Best Instructional Programming" by Philo T. Fransworth's Video
I and my crew, will be receiving not one but two 2009 Philo T. Fransworth's Video Awards for the show. This will be our 8th and 9th awards in 10 years. The awards are for "BEST LIVE PROGRAMMING" and "BEST INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAMMING". The award dinner and ceremony will be held on Friday, Oct. 16th in Strongsville, Ohio, near Cleveland. We are very honored and work hard to make the program enjoyable for everyone!
2009 Bravo's "Top Chef" Show Invitation
I want to thank Magic Elves, a casting agent in LA, for inviting me to audition for the Bravo channel TV show "TOP CHEF". Although I did not make the top 16 chefs for the show, it was nice that they called and invited me to audition. Better luck next time!
Kidney Needed
Now, after 22+ years of a successful kidney transplant, on December 7, 2007, the kidney was rejected. Chef O is now back on dialysis and hopeful for a bright future even with this set-back. He still hard at work cooking and speaking, but he is also looking for another kidney donor. If you or anyone you know may be interested in donating a kidney (he can take "type A" & "type O" blood types), please contact The Gift of Life Program for Michigan.
2008 Grand Rapids Magazine Readers Poll Award
I am pleased and honored once again to be voted among the three Best Chefs in Grand Rapids by the readers of Grand Rapids Magazine in their annual Readers Poll. In previous years' polls, I have been voted Best Chef on two occasions and I was also chef of the establishment named Best Restaurant in an earlier Readers Poll. It is always an honor to be recognized in this way by the discerning readers of Grand Rapids Magazine. Thank you to all who voted for me once again.
2007 Grand Rapids Magazine Readers Poll Award
I am pleased and honored once again to be voted among the three Best Chefs in Grand Rapids by the readers of Grand Rapids Magazine in their annual Readers Poll. In previous years' polls, I have been voted Best Chef on two occasions and I was also chef of the establishment named Best Restaurant in an earlier Readers Poll. It is always an honor to be recognized in this way by the discerning readers of Grand Rapids Magazine. Thank you to all who voted for me once again.
2006 Philo T. Farnsworth Video Awards
Chef O's Place, the show, once again won the award for "Best Live Video" from the Central States Region of the Alliance for Community Media. This marks the fourth year and sixth award for the show, which airs on several community television stations in Michigan. This year the awards ceremony took place in Lansing.
2006 U.S. Transplant Games
This year the U.S. Transplant Games were held in Louisville, KY. For the 10th time since 1988, I was thrilled to participate in this marvelous event as part of Team Michigan. The U.S. Transplant Games is a four-day athletic competition for recipients of organ transplants.
This year I competed once again in tennis, in the Men's Singles, Men's Doubles and Mixed Doubles events. After many months of training, I was very happy to bring home a Bronze Medal from each of the Doubles events. Even better than that was reconnecting with the many friends I have made with fellow transplant recipients. Every two years we come from across the United States to celebrate life with one another, with our families and friends, and with donor families and living donors.
Shining Star Award
On April 14, 2006, I was very pleased and honored when Michigan Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land presented me with a Shining Star award for my many contributions to the cause of organ donation in Michigan.
Land created the Shining Star award to recognize those whose exceptional efforts encourage greater organ donor awareness. The award was presented during "Buddy Week", a public awareness campaign in which Gift of Life Michigan and Michigan Eye-Bank volunteers meet with the public at Secretary of State branch offices to discuss organ and tissue donation.
"Chef O is a truly remarkable person who reminds us all of the great things that those who receive organ transplants can go on to accomplish when given another chance at life," Land said. "Through his work in the media and all of his charitable and athletic efforts, he has been an outstanding champion for organ donation awareness."
Chef O's Place - the Show
Chef O's Place is aired at various times and days weekly on several community cable television stations, including GRTV Cable Channel 25, Grand Rapids, WKTV Cable Channel 25, Wyoming, Kentwood & Gaines Township, WCET Cable Channel 25, Grandville & Georgetown Township, WCAI Cable Channel 15, Grandville, and RCTV Cable Channel 7, Rockford. If there's a link for station in your area, click on it to find the latest broadcast schedule. You will also be able to find these links on the "Links" page once we get that online, and the current schedules are also on the Schedule page.
