Chef Ira is the founder and current president of Christian Chefs International, and Director of the Christian Culinary Academy. He graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, and has worked in the culinary arts since 1995, mostly in fine dining in France, Australia, Virginia, Colorado, Arizona, Southern California and Oregon. He owned his own fine dining restaurant and loves spending time with his family.

Chef Jim is a baking/pastry Chef-Instructor at CCA. Jim has a masters certificate from Canyonview Bible Seminary in Silverton, Oregon, where he continued on staff to teach Bible and New Testament Greek. He was also active in the Christian camp ministry of Canyonview Camp for 15 years. Jim taught baking and pastry at Western Culinary Institute in Portland, OR for 12 years and was instructor of the year in 1999. He is presently the executive director of Canyonview Ministries.

Chef Dave is a graduate of Montana State University’s Pre-Dietetics Food Systems Management, the University of Minnesota’s Food Science emphasis program, as well as a graduate of Hennepin Technical College Culinary Arts Program. Dave began his culinary path at 14, washing dishes, and progressed through training employees, opening, managing, as well as inspecting franchise restaurant locations in over 40 states. For 14 years he was the Executive Chef at the Baxter Hotel in Bozeman, Montana; operating 3 restaurants, a lounge, banquet facilities, and catering. Dave has recently sold his successful business of 30 years and started instructing at CCA in 2023.