1. What was your biggest “lightbulb moment” during your time at EDWINS, and how did it shape your perspective on your future?
✔️My biggest lightbulb moment at EDWINS came when I realized that cooking was more than just preparing food—it was about discipline, consistency, and creating an experience that could truly change how people feel. I saw that the kitchen wasn’t just a place for technique, but a classroom for life. That moment shifted my mindset from simply learning recipes to understanding what it takes to run a business, lead a team, and build something lasting.
It gave me the confidence to see myself not just as a cook, but as a chef and entrepreneur. I understood that if I combined skill with passion, I could create opportunities for myself and others. That insight continues to drive me today as I build my company, mentor others, and use food as a way to uplift and inspire.
2) Can you walk us through what you’re doing now professionally, and how the skills you learned at EDWINS have directly contributed to your success?
✔️Today, I am proud to call myself a luxury chef and the owner of Platz by Craig Howard, a catering company I launched in 2017. Since then, I’ve had the privilege of traveling to more than ten different cities, cooking for high-end clients and bringing elevated dining experiences to each event. My journey has taken me to places like Miami, Florida and Indianapolis, Indiana, before returning home to Cleveland, Ohio, where I now run my business full-time.
Platz by Craig Howard has grown into a company that employs ten team members, including one executive chef and one sous chef. We focus on creating luxury dining experiences that exceed client expectations. In addition, I subcontract with one of Cleveland’s most upscale banquet venues, where my company provides all catering services. This partnership has positioned my brand at one of the most sought-after event spaces in the city.
The foundation for this success was built at EDWINS. The discipline, culinary techniques, and professionalism I learned there gave me the confidence to not only cook with excellence but to run a business with vision and integrity. EDWINS taught me that leadership in the kitchen goes beyond food—it’s about accountability, teamwork, and the drive to build something meaningful. Those lessons are at the core of everything I do today.
3. What has surprised you most about your journey since graduating from EDWINS—either challenges you didn’t expect or opportunities that exceeded your expectations?
✔️The biggest surprise in my journey has been my sobriety. I began that journey at EDWINS, and this coming January I will celebrate 11 years. Sobriety has given me the strength to challenge myself, reclaim who I was raised to be, and live as a productive citizen, a great neighbor, and a loving husband. That foundation has made everything else possible.
What has also exceeded my expectations is the way people have embraced both my story and my talent. I often have to pinch myself when I think about the doors that have opened—cooking for Cleveland Browns players, world-renowned opera singers, and even well-known actors at private events. The respect and recognition I’ve received humbles me daily.
I never imagined the impact my journey would have on others, or the level of opportunity it would create for me. It reminds me that the sky truly is the limit when you stay disciplined, grateful, and committed to growth.
4. How has your involvement with EDWINS impacted not just your career, but your personal life and relationships with family and community?
✔️EDWINS changed the trajectory of my entire life. It didn’t just give me a skill set in the kitchen—it gave me a second chance at life, purpose, and legacy. The program helped me rebuild my confidence and my discipline, which in turn allowed me to become a better husband, a stronger leader, and a man my family and community can be proud of.
In my career, EDWINS gave me the foundation to build my catering company and pursue excellence at the highest level. But beyond business, it showed me the value of giving back and lifting others up. Today, I am not only providing luxury dining experiences, but I’m also creating jobs, mentoring young chefs, and being a role model in my community.
What means the most is how my family and community see me now. They see a man who turned challenges into opportunities, who chose sobriety and perseverance, and who continues to invest in others the way EDWINS invested in me. The relationships I have today—with my wife, my family, my employees, and my clients—are stronger and more meaningful because of the foundation EDWINS gave me.
EDWINS didn’t just impact my career; it gave me the tools to live a life of service, purpose, and dignity. That impact will carry through everything I do and everyone I reach for the rest of my life.
5. What are your goals and dreams for the next few years, and how do you see yourself continuing to grow both personally and professionally?
✔️My five-year plan is to build an internship program that partners with culinary high schools and colleges. I want to give students real, hands-on experience by taking them from the classroom to live events. They will learn not only how to hone their craft in the kitchen, but also how to run the business side of catering—writing contracts, speaking with clients, managing inventory, and executing high-end presentations that leave a lasting impression.
My dream is to create a pipeline of young chefs who are fully prepared to step into the culinary world with both skill and confidence. Personally, I want to continue growing as a mentor, husband, and leader—using my journey as a testimony that discipline and passion can build a legacy. Professionally, I see Platz by Craig Howard expanding into one of the premier names in luxury catering, known not only for exceptional food but for training the next generation of culinary
