2010 Hall of Fame

Our sixth Hall of Fame inductee class consists of an exceptional former student.  Rick Gresh, a Restaurant Management (now called Chef Training) student, leveraged his Polaris career-technical experience to pursue a distinguished career in the culinary arts field. We are proud of his accomplishments and appreciate the role he serves as a prominent chef and Polaris ambassador.
 
Gresh was officially inducted into the Polaris Hall of Fame during a ceremony on April 27, 2010.
 
Polaris Program:
Restaurant Management (1993 Graduate, Midpark High School)
Current Employment:
Executive Chef, David Burke’s Primehouse, Chicago

Rick Gresh a former Restaurant Management (now called Chef Training) student, graduated from Midpark High School in 1993 with a vision to make his mark in the culinary industry.  He enrolled in the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) where he earned an Associate’s Degree in Culinary Arts in 1995.  He began his culinary career with an externship at the Waldorf Astoria in New York and after graduation joined the Trio restaurant in Evanston, Illinois.  He then was hired by the Celebrity Café at Hotel Nikko in Chicago before becoming consulting chef de cuisine at Tsunami in Chicago’s Gold Coast neighborhood.  At 23, Rick took a sous-chef position at Chicago’s Green Dolphin Street where he won a three-star review from the Chicago Tribune and later became Executive Chef.  Next, he joined the renowned Caliterra Restaurant, located at The Wyndham Hotel Chicago and was promoted to Regional Corporate Chef.  In 2006 Gresh became the Executive Chef at the Saddle & Cycle Club, overseeing the entire culinary operations.  Today, he is Executive Chef at David Burke’s Primehouse in the James Hotel in Chicago.
 
Gresh was named a “Rising Star of American Cuisine” by the James Beard Foundation in 2001.  In 2004 and 2006 he was a USA competition finalist in the world’s premier culinary competition, the Bocuse D’Or.  In addition, Chicago Magazine recognized Gresh as one of five "Men to Watch" in November of 2009.