Donnell Jones-Craven
A restaurant general manager and head chef discusses the importance of combating food insecurity, providing strong nutrition in schools to nourish students’ minds and bodies, and using food as a lever for learning.
General Manager of EAT Café
Meet Donnell Jones-Craven, the former general manager of EAT Café. Donnell is a culinary and hospitality professional with over twenty-five years of experience in the food industry. He is interested in food culture and history, food insecurity, nutrition, clean eating, and sustainable agriculture. Above all, Donnell is passionate about food, the people it represents, and the fellowship it creates. Donnell’s passion for food began at the age of eleven when his aunt gave him his first cookbook. He spent his youth and young adulthood cooking whenever he had the opportunity: bake sales, cook-offs, fundraisers, and so on. After college, Donnell attended culinary school at the Art Institute of Atlanta. Donnell relocated to Philadelphia in 2014, and joined the EAT Café team in July 2015 where he aimed to be a “conduit to the community” by encompassing and engaging the nonprofit, business, hospitality, culinary, arts, and education sectors, as well a
s providing a venue for the community to come together through food and fellowship. He served on the EAT team until 2017 when he transitioned to the South Jazz Kitchen & Lounge until 2018. He currently serves as an executive chef for the Dondari Culinary Consulting Services, LLC, a position he has held since 2009.
