Derek Nottingham

When he was six or seven years old, Derek Nottingham told people he was going to be a chef. But, he had to wait until the ripe age of 13 to earn his first paycheck from a restaurant--and became sous chef by 21. His experiences include working in executive positions for Sodexo Marriott Services at the Exxon headquarters in Texas, Food Glorious Food in Dallas, and the National Gallery of Art and the International Monetary Fund in Washington D.C. In 2005, Nottingham became the executive chef for a Sodexo group of 14 foodservice operations under government contracts. He supervised more than 180 employees, working to satisfy 16,000 daily guests. He moved into the management side of food in 2007 and began working with American University in 2011. He transfered to Bon Appetit Management in 2012.