David Shea

The Climb

Training at the Culinary Institute of America gave David Shea the formal base, but the first service lesson came as a cook at The Three Cups in East Village, New York, where line work and speed set the tempo. From there, the positions stacked in sequence: chef at The Med (2002–2003), Head Chef at The Cricket (2003–2004), and Head Chef at Brookdale (2004–2011), all while also serving as Executive Chef at Spruce in Chicago (from 2000). The through line is repetition under pressure, then refinement across rooms that asked for different pacing and control. At Brookdale, that stretch continued as technician from 2011–2022, a shift that widened the job from kitchen output to the operating system around it. He then served as director of Food And Beverage at LCS (2022–2024), where timing, service, and coordination sit closer together. Today, David is game day operations of Philadelphia Union (since 2011) and dinning services manager of ISH Dining Services (since 2025). Across those roles, the same kitchen discipline shows up in different forms of service management.

Today

He is chef/owner of Applewood in Brooklyn. The title puts the work of cooking and the work of owning in the same frame, with no separation between the line and the business around it.

Signature

David's signature dishes include house-cured salmon with ceviche and Maine lobster consomme. The point here is precision: cured fish, bright acidity, and a consomme that reads clean rather than heavy. The pairing says something about control without stripping the plate of presence.

In Their Words “The perk of American food is, we can draw on our many influences -- it truly is a melting pot.” “I found I had a knack for it, and I needed the cash.”