Chef Justin Plank
Born the last of nine children in Winter Park, Florida on September 29, 1969 Justin's interest in cooking was initially sparked from time spent in the kitchen with his mother. At age 16, Justin started cooking in local restaurants, one of which was the prestigious Lake Nona Golf Club. While there, he was mentored by Chef Pat Lennon who inspired him to take his love of the culinary arts to the next level. After having graduated with Honors from The Florida Culinary Institute in West Palm Beach, Justin won a scholarship to intern in Zurich, Switzerland at Movenpick's upscale restaurant in the hotel. It was there he earned his Chef de Partie title. Once returning to his native Florida, Justin was appointed Sous Chef for the acclaimed Manuel's on the 28th, where he helped earn the Dirona Award, the Golden Spoon Award, as well as the AAA 4-Diamond distinction.
After his stay at Manuel's, Justin was offered the Executive Chef position of Harvey's Bistro in Orlando. Given the opportunity to work for the famous Wolfgang Puck, Justin continued his culinary journey becoming Chef de Cuisine at Wolfgang Puck's upstairs Dining Room in Orlando. Wolfgang quickly took notice of this young Chef and moved him out to Seattle to repair one his Grand Cafés. After two years Justin returned to Orlando as Executive Chef of the Downtown Disney Grand Café where it generated over 18 million in sales per year. Soon it was time to move on where he saw an opportunity to become Executive of HUE, the hot new restaurant in Thornton Park. After about a year, he saw an opportunity with Manny Garcia to come home to his roots in Winter Park and take on his biggest challenge yet bringing Park Plaza Gardens beyond the level it was once before. The current owners of Park Plaza Gardens, Mary Demetree, Ron Schwartz, and Warren Williams, decided the restaurant needed a name change and a newer image, awarding Justin with Chef Justin's Park Plaza Gardens.
Justin has cooked for the following celebrities:
Tom Hanks
Matt Damon
Stevie Wonder
Leonardo Dicaprio
Steven Tyler
Nick Price
Horace Grant
Creed
Christopher Reeve
Freddy Couples
Ricky Martin
Britney Spears
