Celebrity Chef and Food Network’s Chopped Champion Rashad Armstead has over fifteen years of experience in the food service industry. With humbling beginnings as a dishwasher, he is driven by passion, the innate feeling to change the world, and love of food. Chef Rashad worked his way to become a Sous-Chef and then Executive Chef in many different food service companies. While working for a private chef company, Chef Rashad had an opportunity to create his own catering business and with just $980, he obtained his first client, a UC Berkeley Sorority, who signed a six-month contract . With-in 30 days Chef received three more UC Berkeley fraternities to sign another long-term contract, this was beginning of Artistic Taste 7. Chef Rashad continued to build long lasting relationships with tech companies, co-working spaces, and Bay Area locals. Fun Fact, Chef Rashad is the great-grandson to Chef Sarah Rawls, one of the first black woman to cook on television and was a restaurateur with nine restaurants in California, three cookbooks, and a host of awards. Sarah is a big inspiration to Chef Rashad, and he continues her Legacy with his own unique style.