As Director of Recruiting for Culinary & Operations, Chef Christopher B. Willis brings 28 years of culinary and operations leadership to his work — with a network that spans the industry from kitchen to C-suite and a career built on firsthand experience at every level of the business.
Chris’s culinary philosophy was shaped before he ever stepped into a professional kitchen. Growing up on a farm in Darlington, Maryland — surrounded by local produce, apple and pear trees — he developed an early appreciation for fresh, seasonal ingredients that has defined his approach ever since. He began his career at 13 as a dishwasher and achieved the title of Executive Chef by 20, training alongside some of the most respected names in the industry, including Harold Balink of TRU and Harolds, Norman Hart C.E.C. C.C.E. (ACF Chef Instructor of the Year), Scott Schmucker C.E.C. C.C.E. (former personal chef to U2 and the Pittsburgh Steelers), Roberto Donna of Galileo, and Peter Smith of PS7 and Vidalia in Washington, D.C.
As personal chef to celebrated author Tom Clancy, Chris prepared fine cuisine for celebrities and notables throughout the country. His excellence was recognized with a medal from the 2004 Maryland State Agricultural Rockfish Competition. In 2006, he accepted the role of Executive Chef at POSH Restaurant and Supper Club — owned by BET founder Robert L. Johnson — where he prepared for guests including Denzel Washington, Robert De Niro, Patti LaBelle, Smokey Robinson, Forest Whitaker, and Lorraine Bracco. Under his leadership, POSH earned Best of Washington, the #1 Hot Spot and #1 Late Night Find designations, and a consecutive top-5 Vibrant Bar ranking on OpenTable.
Chris has opened and overseen concepts across resort, hotel, and fine dining environments — including the Whiteface Lodge in Lake Placid, the Marriott on Pompano Beach, and the Pittsburgh Hilton Garden Inn. In 2010, he traveled to Liberia to consult and train staff at POSH at the Kendeja Resort and Villas. In 2011, he created Grist Mill Serious Comfort Food inside the Hilton Garden Inn Downtown D.C., earning a consistent top-10 Yelp ranking for comfort food in the city.
Most recently, Chris served as the consulting architect behind the relaunch of Port Tobacco Restaurant, where he implemented training programs, proprietary recipes, food cost and ordering systems, and redesigned the kitchen within budget. The restaurant generated approximately $500,000 in revenue in its first months of operation.
Since 2016, Chris has operated Whatchu Cookin Willis LLC, his catering and consulting company, encompassing four food trucks, the Softee Swerve concept, and a custom-designed onsite smoking catering trailer. He also manages the Charles County Public Schools Food Truck for all ProStart programs. That same year, he transitioned into culinary education as an instructor at North Point High School’s CTE program, where he achieved ACF accreditation and implemented ServSafe, OSHA, and real-world curriculum certifications — with the goal of placing aspiring culinarians in businesses locally and abroad.
A first-place winner at the 2008 Chefs on Bikes Pork Cook-Off and a participant in the D.C. All Star Chefs’ Dinner at the James Beard House, Chris remains deeply committed to the culinary community. He teaches seminars at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh’s Culinary School and has devoted time to Food & Friends, the Capital Area Food Bank, and the Blue Jeans Ball. He is a member of the ACF D.C. Chapter, the American Institute of Wine and Food, the Chefs’ Club of D.C., and the James Beard Foundation.
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