“My curiosity of food was ignited and encouraged by my mother. As the youngest of seven, my mother did a lot of cooking and I would often find myself at her side while she prepared the family’s meals. Some of my fondest memories and conversations with my mother were shared in the kitchen. To this day, the kitchen is a very comforting place for me.”

Chef Kaminsky Thomas is a native of Houston, Texas. While studying to become a mechanical engineer, he expanded his culinary interests cooking at local restaurants, and even managed to find time to start a wedding cake and catering business. It wasn’t too far into his studies that Kaminsky realized his heart and soul belonged to the Hospitality Industry.

Kaminsky’s passion for cooking led him to enroll at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. Graduating in 1993, he worked as Restaurant Chef at the Omni Houston Hotel. While on a work assignment for the hotel group in Chicago, Kaminsky was offered a Sous Chef position at Cielo Restaurant located in the Omni Hotel.

In 1995, Kaminsky became the opening Executive Chef at Palettes’ Restaurant, Chicago IL. Then in 1997, he took the helm of the 600-seat Odyssey Cruises line as the Executive Chef. Returning to dry land; he became the Executive Chef at Hugo’s Frog Bar and Fish House, Chicago IL. Soon thereafter when the Gibson / Hugo management team took over Ralph Lauren’s restaurant; RL, he was assigned as the Executive Chef of that establishment. In 2002, he became the Executive Chef of Joe’s Be-Bop at Navy Pier. He was promoted to Corporate Chef of the Chicago Restaurant Corporation a year later. Currently, he is responsible for all culinary aspects at Anteprima, Joe’s Be-Bop Café as well as four Charlie’s Ale House restaurants; located in Chicago, Indiana and Wheaton.

Kaminsky’s outside interests include computers, woodworking and all sorts of creative crafts. He and his wife; Valerie, are members of “The Grub Club”; a group of friends that get together to host dinner parties of various themes and cultural culinary cuisines.

“My father instilled in me a strong work ethic. My mother inspired me to have passion for life. I am grateful for the encouragement and guidance that my parents gave me. Today, I am blessed to work in the culinary field; I get to do what I love to do for a living. If you don’t have passion for what you do then it becomes a job. If you are passionate about what you do, it becomes part of your being”