Chad Spencer

Jozu at Bell Market
Chad-Spencer
Participating Events
7:00 PM - 10:00 PM Saturday, May 2
Chad-Spencer

Chad was born and raised in Kansas, where a life in food was almost preordained. With his father as a butcher and his grandfather a farmer, great food and fresh local ingredients have always been a focal point in his life. Whether it was working summers on the farm or having friendly butchering competitions with his father, Chad always had the opportunity to see start to finish where the meal began, how it was prepared and the enjoyment of his friends and family eating it. It was no surprise that a career in food was what Chad would end up pursuing as an adult.

For over 20 years, Chad has been working in restaurants holding just about every position you can think of from dishwasher to corporate chef. He is an alumnus of Wichita State University, where he majored in Business Entrepreneurship. Chad realized that cooking was his passion; the sense of accomplishment he received after preparing a great meal for his friends and family, and the love for fresh local ingredients that was ingrained in him as a young man eventually led him to California Culinary Academy in San Francisco. Having worked at Gary Danko, Ame, and Michael Mina he found a deep connection to Japanese ingredients and the chance to work with some of the best seafood in the world.

In 2009, Chad opened a restaurant for two Michelin starred Chef Michael Mina, which turned out to be one of the best decisions of his life; not only is this where he met his wife, but he gained the experience needed to take on the next challenge in his career: running the Bacchus Management Group as the Corporate Chef. From 2012 to 2017, he called this his home, opening and operating 9 different restaurants, two which hold Michelin stars and Wine Spectator Grand Awards. Chad joined the RBC Hospitality family in 2017 as Chef / COO and is one of the founding Partners of the Food Hall at Bell Works.