Executive Chef Jason Cunningham recently announced the appointment of Mark Budnik to the coveted position of executive sous chef at the Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club. The selection comes after Budnik honed his culinary craft in the Triangle and in his home state of Michigan for the last fifteen years.
Budnik’s past experience includes serving as general manager of Stromboli’s Express, a casual local chain restaurant with two locations in Raleigh, as well as general manager of Guardian Catering. He also spent seven years at Raleigh’s North Ridge Country Club where he worked his way up from various restaurant chef positions, including banquet chef and fine dining chef, to his last role as sous chef. During his career at the North Ridge Country Club, he won the American Culinary Federation North Carolina’s Chapter’s Silver Medal for Hot Plate award in 2012 and 2011. His culinary background also includes positions at the Egypt Valley Country Club in Ada, Michigan and the Black Forest Baru Keller (renamed Sullivan’s Black Forest Brew Haus & Grill) in Frankenmuth, Michigan.
Budnik earned an associate degree in culinary arts and hospitality management at Grand Rapids Community College in Grand Rapids, Michigan (now the Secchia Institute for Culinary Education at Grand Rapids Community College). He currently lives in Raleigh with his wife Katy, who’s due with their first child in September, a 3-year-old black Labrador named Autumn and a cat named Ethos.
The Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club is located on the campus of Duke University, only twenty minutes from Raleigh-Durham International Airport and ten minutes from Research Triangle Park.
For more information or reservations call (919) 490.0999 or visit washingtondukeinn.com,