COMPETITOR

Team Indiana

HEAD COOK: Susanne Grier

COMPETITION: World Live Fire Championship

Chef Susanne Ebacher Grier, CEPC, is a dedicated chef-educator with 12 years of teaching experience in the greater Indianapolis area and over 30 years in the hospitality industry. She focuses on developing the next generation of hospitality professionals at both the postsecondary and high school levels. Chef Grier is a Certified Executive Pastry Chef (CEPC) through the American Culinary Federation (ACF). She has earned degrees in the culinary arts, baking and pastry and professional catering from Sullivan University, in addition to completing advanced French pastry training at École Grégoire Ferrandi in Paris. She also holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in education from Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and a master’s degree in Career and Technical Education from Ball State University. Throughout her career, Chef Grier has held positions ranging from corporate chef to executive pastry chef in healthcare and event production. After relocating to Indiana, she served as the executive pastry chef for the inaugural NFL Honors event preceding the Super Bowl. In addition to teaching full-time, she also works on special projects in culinary and pastry work, including for Notre Dame Football. Deeply involved in the SkillsUSA community, Chef Grier has coached students who have competed at regional and national levels in baking and pastry arts. She serves as a national judge for the SkillsUSA Baking & Pastry Arts competition and has been a national judge for the ACF Educator of the Year award for the past four years. Under her mentorship, students have won state championships and proudly represented Indiana at SkillsUSA Nationals. Chef Grier’s dedication and expertise have been widely recognized. In 2019, she received the Indiana New ProStart Teacher of the Year award, and in 2020, she was honored with the Dan Ryan Award of Excellence from SkillsUSA Indiana. A 21-year member of the ACF, she earned the ACF National Presidential Medallion in 2022 and was named Greater Indianapolis ACF Chef of the Year in 2017 and Pastry Chef of the Year in 2014. Her service to the culinary community includes leading roles as president of the Greater Indianapolis ACF chapter and past chair of the ACF’s National Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee. She currently serves as president of the Indiana Association for Career and Technical Education (INACTE).