Dominic Hawkes is a Master Chef of Great Britain with over 30 years of experience in the food service and hospitality industry. Trained in London’s premier hotels—including the Ritz, Radisson Edwardian, and Prince Regent—and at international events such as the Dubai International Aerospace Show, he combines classical culinary training with a bachelor’s degree in business studies, with a hospitality management focus.
After serving with Bank of America’s Corporate Food Services, Dominic spent 19 years as Food & Beverage Director at the Charlotte City Club before transitioning to education. Since 2019, he has taught Culinary Arts at the Lancaster County School District Career Center in South Carolina, where he is certified to teach and proctor multiple industry credentials, including ProStart and ServSafe.
He is the recipient of multiple awards recognizing his impact on education and the culinary field, both locally and nationally:
SCACTE New teacher of the Year 2020-21
SCACTE FYI Conference New Teacher of the Year 2021
South Carolina ProStart Educator of Excellence 2022-23
National Restaurant Association ProStart Educator of Excellence 2022-23
South Carolina Dept. of Education Culinary Award 2022-23
SCACTE FYI Conference Teacher of the Year 2024
Lancaster County School District Career Center Teacher of the Year 2024-25
SCACTE Teacher of the Year 2024-25
Lancaster County School District Career Center Teacher of the Year 2025-26
South Carolina Restaurant & Lodging Association, Hospitality Educator of the year 2025
Lancaster County School District, Teacher of the Year, Honor Roll 2025-26
Association for Career & Technical Educators, Teacher of the Year finalist 2026
In 2022, Dominic led his program to become the first secondary-level culinary program in the Carolinas to earn American Culinary Federation (ACF) accreditation, allowing students to graduate with the Certified Fundamentals Cook (CFC) credential. An active leader in culinary education, he serves with the ACF Accreditation evaluation team, is an instructor in South Carolina’s DIRECT CTE program, a SC 4.0 teacher evaluator, and was elected to the ACF Education Foundation Accreditation Commission (2026–2028). He is also a frequent presenter at state and national conferences and has been a PBS Charlotte guest.
Dominic shares his passion for education and culinary arts through his YouTube channel, Chef Hawkes. He is married to his wife Courtney, an art educator and longtime supporter of his work, and they have two adult children, Jack and Tate.
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