David Thomas

Hospitality schooling at Vatel Hotel & Tourism Business School gave David Thomas an early grammar for the room as much as the plate. That training, rooted in hospitality and tourism, is where the precision started: a meal as food, yes, but also as an experience and a memory in progress. From there, his work as chef and co-owner at Herb & Soul in Parkville, Maryland, and as chef at Ida B’s Table in Baltimore, Maryland, built a resume that stays close to the city and region that shaped it.

Today, David Thomas is chef/owner and executive chef and co-owner of H3irloom Food Group. The role extends beyond the kitchen line into operations and identity, with cooking used as a tool for leadership and for holding more than one expression of hospitality at once.

Modern soul food, farm-to-table cooking, and African-American food mark the current language of David Thomas’s work. In practice, those labels point to a style that is grounded in ingredients, direct in presentation, and clear about context. The table becomes a place where memory, craft, and conversation can sit together, without losing the pace or clarity of the plate.

David's signature dishes include Heirloom Tomato Salad, Fried Burrata, And Vanilla-Bourbon Reduction, Shrimp, Geechee Boy Grits, Cheddar, And Creole Cream Cheese, and Ratatouille: Shaved Summer Vegetables And Tomato-Carrot Broth. The list shows a line of cooking that works by balance: richness set against restraint, comfort set against lift, texture carrying as much weight as flavor. In David Thomas’s hands, the names read as composed plates with a seasonal frame.

David's honors include Chopped grand champion. The recognition fits a career built on composure under pressure and the ability to finish with clarity.