David Christopher Skinner

EXECUTIVE CHEF

David “Christopher’s” path to becoming the chef and restaurateur he is today involves a circuitous journey. David’s love of food began at the early age of four when he asked his grandmother “Mimi” a pastry chef to make him a carousel cake for his birthday.

4 Years Old

By the age of seven Mimi had taught him the basics of cooking – temperature, time, salt, and passion. She instilled in him the importance of cooking with fresh ingredients and that growing your own vegetables makes the dish even that much better.

At age 12 she gave David his first knife, a Sabatier 8” chef knife along with Julia Child’s two volume set “Mastering the Art of French Cooking”. Within two years David had completed all of the recipesand was ready for the next challenge. That challenge came a few years later when he was able to open his own restaurant called La Vie en Rose (after the Edith Pilaf song), in the back of his grandmother’s gourmet cooking store. David would leave school early each day under the DECA program and prepare for evening service. The small space only housed 10 tables but it was a great learning experience and set the stage for future culinary endeavors.

David and Julia Child

After graduating high school David went on to Oklahoma State University where he majored in Finance and Economics. But the lure of food was too great and after one very late night with a couple of professors he decided to open another restaurant while still in