David Gwynn

Chef David Gwynn and his wife, baker extraordinaire Elizabeth, own and operate Cypress Restaurant in their hometown, Tallahassee, Florida.

David grew up in the culinary world, filling the gaps wherever needed in his mother’s restaurant and catering business. After earning a degree in marketing from The University of West Florida, David nine-to-fived it for a few years in sales and marketing with a wine and beer distributor. During that time he realized that food, wine and cooking were passions that can pay the bills. Faced with the question, “What’s the best way to get from a bush-league cook to a professional chef?” he decided to attend culinary school. David graduated from the prestigious Culinary Institute of America, during which time he apprenticed at regionally acclaimed Criolla’s in Grayton Beach. Two days after graduation, David began working through the ranks of nationally recognized Chef Dean Fearing’s kitchen at the Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas, Texas.

In 1999, the chef and his wife returned home to raise their boys close to family and to open Cypress Restaurant. Entering its 13th year, Cypress is recognized as a culinary leader in the Northwest Florida panhandle. They are a recipient of Florida Trend Magazine’s Golden Spoon Hall of Fame award.

In addition, David opened another restaurant this August called Vertigo Burgers and Fries, which features specialty burgers, fries, salads and shakes.

 http://cypressrestaurant.com