Meet Our Chefs
Vanderbilt Campus Dining is led by a team of talented and passionate chefs who are dedicated to providing culinary excellence through hand-crafted recipes and high quality service. They are committed to providing value through the best-tasting, most nutritious and diverse menus possible.
Our chefs are the driving force behind Vanderbilt Campus Dining’s many awards and accolades, including Best On-Site Food Service Operation in the Nation, Best Food Service Operator, the prestigious Ivy Award, and many more.
Meet the leaders in our kitchens, the faces behind the delicious and diverse recipes we serve and the ones committed to creating memorable experiences shared around the dining table.
Director of Culinary Operations
Chef de Cuisine, Brian Cochrane
Brian is a native of Middle Tennessee who lives in Franklin. He started his career of professional cooking on Martha’s Vineyard, MA during the Summers of his university years.
After a decade in non-profit work, he returned to the culinary world in 2002. Brian formalized his culinary education as an apprentice under a classically trained French chef. After years of fine dining restaurant and private club positions, he entered the arena of dining service for education.
He has managed dining operations at several private K-12 and post-secondary schools, including University of Arkansas Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management Institute. Brian’s especially enjoys Mediterranean cuisine because the simple preparations allow basic flavors of fresh ingredients to shine.
Rothschild & Zeppos Residential Dining Halls
Chef de Cuisine, Doug Best
Born and raised in Olympia, WA, Douglas Best discovered his passion for culinary arts while serving in the military, finding that food brought people together and was a great way to de-stress.
Following the military, he enrolled in the culinary program at The Art Institute in Nashville, TN. After graduation, he honed his skills working in fast-paced gastropub kitchens. Looking for a new challenge, he found himself an opportunity in higher education dining at Vanderbilt.
Commons Dining Hall
Chef de Cuisine, Audrey Patterson
Audrey L. Patterson discovered her love and passion for food at an early age awakening a dream to become a chef. Born and raised in Jacksonville, FL, Audrey relocated to North Carolina in 2009 and then attended The Art Institute in Durham, NC. It wasn’t until 2014 when she received degree in Culinary Arts that her dream would come to life.
Audrey began working in the culinary industry while attending college and has spent the last 11 years learning from talented chefs in various outlets of the culinary world. She has done banqueting at Durham Convention Center, food trucks, and fine dining at Weathervane at Southern Season.
Prior to joining the staff at Vanderbilt University in December, Audrey spent the last 4 ½ years serving as Sous Chef at Duke University. During her tenure there received many accolades including Number 1 College Foodservice in America-The Daily Meal 2016, Innovator of the year-Foodservice Management Magazine 2017, NACUFS Awards Sustainability Gold Award 2017, and Loyal E. Horton Gold Dining Award Retail Sales 2017.
Audrey’s experience combined with her adventurous attitude towards food helps her design unique menus with signature dishes. She is a proponent of farm-to-table innovations utilizing fresh ingredients to create a distinctive dining experience.
Vanderbilt University Athletics Dining Facility
Chef de Cuisine, Jason Marshall
Chef Jason was born and raised in southern Wisconsin. Developing a passion for cooking food at the early age of 13 he has been in the culinary arts world for over 30 years. After taking a culinary arts program in high school Jason worked at a family-owned Italian restaurant to start his career.
Chef Jason has backgrounds in hotel, convention centers, elite private country clubs, Senior living communities, and has lived in Wisconsin, Las Vegas, and Southern California during his career. With his extensive knowledge of fine dining and nutrition, and custom cooking classes he made the decision to join and lead Vanderbilt Athletics culinary arts team in October of 2022.
When Jason is not on campus taking care of all the student athletes, he enjoys spending time with his wife and children in Dickson Tennessee. He also enjoys hiking, visiting the ocean and spending time outdoors.
Rand Dining Center
Chef de Cuisine, Grayson Holland
Grayson Holland was born and raised in Southwest Virginia, where he discovered his passion for food from an early age learning to cook with his grandmothers. After high school Grayson cut his teeth in fast paced kitchens from fast casual to catering, before enrolling in the Culinary Arts Program at Virginia Western Community College.
From that point, in April of 2018 Grayson went on to become a Sous Chef at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg Virginia. There he played an integral role in the operation of one of the University’s largest dining facilities, boasting 11 concepts, 2 food trucks, and a marketplace. He helped orchestrate high caliber special events, and everyday services with a passion to improve his craft, and the people around him.
Grayson played an important part in helping to achieve two Loyal E. Horton Awards, a grand prize in Residential Dining Special Events, and a gold prize for Special Events. With five years at Virginia Tech, Grayson helped keep the University in the top 2 of Niche’s “Best Campus Food”. After rising to the rank of Chef de Cuisine, Grayson came to Vanderbilt University in July of 2023 to bring his passion for good food, and good service to our community.