Photo by McKinley Wiley
Brandon Edwin Chrostowski is on a mission to change the face of re-entry in the United States. In 2007, he founded EDWINS Leadership & Restaurant Institute with the belief that “education wins” and every human being - regardless of their past - has the right to a fair and equal future. Under Chrostowski’s stewardship, EDWINS has grown to include culinary education and life skills training at its flagship French eatery in Cleveland, Ohio; a nearby Second Chance Life Skills Center campus for additional learning, housing, and support services, a Butcher Shop and Bakery and Diner; an on-site program at Grafton Correctional Institute and curriculum for inmates at all 30 Ohio state prisons.
A classically trained chef and sommelier, Chrostowski honed his skills at notable fine dining establishments in Paris, New York, and Chicago, including Lucas Carton, Chanterelle, Picholine, Le Cirque and Charlie Trotter’s. Recognition for his culinary and mission-driven efforts include IFMA’s 2020 Silver Plate, CNN 2016 Heroes and Crain’s 40 under 40 awards, the subject of Academy Award nominated documentary Knife Skills and The Richard C. Cornuelle Award from the Manhattan Institute for Social Entrepreneurship. Chrostowski earned an Associate’s degree in Culinary Arts and a Bachelor’s degree in Business and Restaurant Management from The Culinary Institute of America. He resides in Cleveland with his wife Catana and their children, Leo and Lilly.