
Roger Kreager, the founder and owner of Chef Source in Canton, was awarded the Presidential Medallion by the American Culinary Association (ACF).
This award is the highest distinction bestowed by the Jacksonville, Fla.-based organization. It recognizes individuals who exemplify unwavering dedication to the culinary arts and who have made significant contributions to the industry. It also acknowledges the recipient’s outstanding strength of character and relentless pursuit of excellence.
Chef Source was founded by Kreager in 1999, and was built to meet the unmet needs within the marketplace.
“Chefs were looking for unique, hard-to-find, top-quality items from all over the world to help them with their creative menus,” says Kreager. “We listened to them and found these products such as cinnamon from Vietnam and specialty pasta from Italy.”
Kreager visited Switzerland to meet with chocolate experts (chocolatiers) to create dessert chocolates suited for the American palette.
“We also host nationwide chefs in our demonstration kitchen to test and review new products. It’s a win – win situation for everyone” says Kreager.
Today, Chef Source offers a selection of more than 3,000 specialty food items. It is a local, family-owned company, which tripled in physical size in 2023.
Kreager, a graduate of Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, was recently invited to be one of the featured executive producers for the documentary film “Detroit, the City of Chefs” that is currently in production for a fall release in Michigan on PBS.