Kenny Rae

Executive Chef

Chef Kenny has nearly 30 years experience pleasing palates at a variety of private parties and off-premise events. Prior to joining the Forte Belanger team in 2004, he spent 18 years rising through the ranks while honing his skills at Appeteaser Restaurant Group. He’s held nearly every position in the kitchen – from pastry chef to sous chef – and he’s also well versed in restaurant start-up.

Kenny works with the entire Forte team developing menus for their portfolio of customers and working with his culinary team to execute these menus flawlessly. And, he makes a priority of training and maintaining a deep bench of culinary experts ready to perform in a variety of circumstances.

What inspires me

For me, it’s pulling off amazing events, sometimes under really challenging circumstances, and at each one, treating our guests to a restaurant-quality experience with high-end cuisine.

Words of wisdom

Something I’ve read and always try to emulate: Fresh food, cooked and seasoned properly, is the best food you can eat.

Earliest memory of being in the kitchen

When I first started working at Appeteaser, I was amazed by the line cooks – their speed, their stamina, the beautiful dishes they could turn out in volume; it’s why cooking got into my soul.

Passion

I’m passionate about music; I’m a composer and I play the guitar. Back in the day, my band played gigs all over Metro Detroit.

Take on life

Work hard, play hard.