The Chefs

Santiago Grand Thornton spent his youth between Cleveland, Ohio, and Athens, Alabama. Of Irish and South American heritage, he brings a mixed cultural bag of flavors to the table, from Latin America and the American south. After spending ample time on the west coast and in the Andes, “Chef Grand” (as valued friends and jilted ex-employees call him) returned to Cleveland where he has worked with celebrity chefs, James Beard award winners, international cheese importers, and as a food consultant for FOX 8 New Day Cleveland. Presently he is Chef de Cuisine at the newly minted Plank Road Tavern in sunny Lakewood, Ohio.


Don King can often be found hiking the forests of Ohio and neighboring states in search of wild mushrooms and other delicious and healthy edibles, which he considers to be the pinnacle of sustainable, local foods. Don’s enthusiasm for wild foods stems from his passion for cooking, where he believes that the freshest ingredients yield the tastiest results. This philosophy has led to several Vegan Iron Chef titles, an annual event sponsored by Standing Rock Cultural Arts.

Don loves to share his knowledge of wild foods and how to prepare them through private and group identification classes and wild edible hunts, as well as video tutorials and other appearances. He has been featured many times on Fox 8’s New Day Cleveland, and has also appeared on NPR’s Good Eats with Vivian Goodman, and the Kent Record Courier. Follow Don on Facebook (The Mushroom Hunter),

Instagram (@donthemushroomhunter) and his website, themushroomhunter.com.