i. Biography
David Connolly’s work sits at the intersection of kitchen leadership, business operations, and editorial fluency, with Beijing running through the center of that path. The city is where he trained at University of International Business and Economics, where he held early roles that built commercial discipline, and where he now serves as Executive Chef at Bottega in Beijing. The result is a career that moves between service, strategy, and communication without losing contact with the kitchen.
The Climb
Training at University of International Business and Economics gave Connolly a Beijing base that shows up throughout the rest of his career. The early work is not restaurant-facing, but it is relevant to the trade: in 2010–2011, he was PA to the chairman at Sun Enterprises Group in Beijing, China, a role that placed him close to senior-level operations. By 2012–2013, he had advanced to Business Development Manager at Sun Enterprises Group in Beijing, China, adding commercial responsibility to that foundation. The next stage widened the frame further. From 2013–2016, Connolly served as Senior Website Editor and Cross Cultural Liaison at Dalian Wanda Group in Beijing, China. That combination of duties points to a working practice built around systems, language, and audience, the kind of background that can sharpen how a chef reads teams, brands, and public-facing work. Entrepreneurship entered the picture in 2014, when he became co-founder of BFB Group. Since 2014, he has held that role in Beijing, giving the career a business anchor alongside his restaurant work. In 2015, he took on another defined kitchen position as Executive Chef at Tap: A Gastropub in Midtown Atlanta, moving into front-line restaurant leadership in a specific venue and neighborhood. Today, Connolly is Corporate Research and Development Chef at Pappas Restaurants. The title points to a different mode of kitchen work: less tied to a single service, more focused on testing, refinement, and the development side of the trade.
Today
Since 2014, Connolly has been Co-Founder at BFB Group in Beijing, a role that stays connected to the city where his education and early professional life were formed. It gives the career an ownership layer that sits alongside his restaurant responsibilities. At Pappas Restaurants, Inc, he serves as Corporate Research and Development Chef. That position places him in the work of structure and iteration, where culinary decisions are shaped for scale and continuity rather than a single night’s menu. At Bottega in Beijing, Connolly is Executive Chef. Set against the rest of his record, that title completes a path built across business, editorial, entrepreneurship, and kitchen leadership.
Recognition
The notable markers in Connolly’s career are built into the roles themselves. In 2014, he co-founded BFB Group in Beijing, creating a continuing business foothold that runs alongside his culinary work. In 2015, he was Executive Chef at Tap: A Gastropub in Midtown Atlanta, a named leadership post that marks his move into restaurant command. His current titles — Executive Chef in Beijing and Corporate Research and Development Chef at Pappas Restaurants, Inc. — extend that recognition across both restaurant leadership and development work, showing a career that spans more than one side of the trade.
Profile updated August 2026
FAQ
Asked of David
What is David Connolly's current role?
As of 2026, David Connolly is Executive Chef.
Where did David Connolly train or study?
David Connolly trained at University of International Business and Economics.
