About

You can’t teach passion, whether it’s in the kitchen or in the community.  John Bord was a resident of Tubac since 2006, and an avid bon vivant constantly refining his culinary skills and creating memories for guests.  In 2023, he moved to Portugal to enjoy the food and wine in Europe.

Chef John offers personal chef services and food tours in Mexico, Cuba, Spain and Portugal; gourmet food delivery service; and in-home dinner parties at your house or in John’s kitchen on the beach in Praia da Rocha.  All services are designed especially for you and your guests.

In 2012, Chef John created gourmet 5-course dinners and wine pairings to benefit southern Arizona non-profit organizations and has raised more than $45,000 to help the Boys and Girls Club of Santa Cruz County, the Tubac Center of the Arts, the Santa Cruz Community Foundation, the Border Community Alliance, Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and ARSOBO in Nogales, Sonora.

Chef John has studied with a wide range of acclaimed chef’s in the USA and Mexico.  His food reflects traditional and contemporary Latin American flavors and fresh ingredients, but is also influenced by the food, culture and traditions of Cuba, France, Italy, Spain, and the American West.

Two chefs from his past that have heavily influenced his culinary skills for Cuban, Mexican and Latin food are:

Iliana de la Vega - The Mexican Government granted Chef de la Vega with the prestigious Ohtli award in recognition for her work with the Hispanic population and Mexican gastronomy. From 2007 to 2012 Iliana served as the Mexican/Latin Cuisines Specialist for The Culinary Institute of America (CIA).

Chef Douglas Rodriguez - The globally acclaimed Godfather of Nuevo Latino Cuisine, Rodriguez was nominated again by the James Beard Foundation for Best Chef South Florida.  He has made numerous television appearances including The Late Show with David Letterman, Good Morning America, The Today Show, and CBS Weekend This Morning.

Chef John has also learned from James Beard award-winning, and nominated chefs including Chef Robert McGrath (the Roaring Fork), Chef Silvana Salcido Esparza (Barrio Café and Barrio Café Gran Reserva), Chef Vincent Guerithault (Vincent on Camelback) and Donna Nordin (Café Terra Cotta).  His approach to cooking has also been influenced by Dr. Andrew Weil, one of his previous marketing clients, and utilizes the Weil food pyramid and anti-inflammatory diet in menu design while creating healthy and flavorful meals.

Chef John also taught cooking classes at Cooking A-Z in Tubac and operates the Culinary Bud.

To contact Chef John, please send an email to:  chefjohn@culinarybud.com

 

 

So that's Chef John, but he also has a diverse education, business and community background.  If all you want to know is about his culinary experience, then you're good to go.  If you'd like to peel back the layer of an onion, then read on.

John received his Bachelor of Science in Communication with Honors from Arizona State University and earned an MA in Organizational Management from the University of Phoenix. He also holds Executive Certificates in Global Marketing Management and Global Marketing Strategy from the Thunderbird School of Global Management.  Since 2005, John has been a featured speaker on marketing, advertising and customer experience for Hewlett-Packard, Chartwell, the Western Energy Institute, EUCI, Opower/Oracle and the American Marketing Association at national and international conferences.  Case studies on his marketing best practices have been published by both Hewlett-Packard and Chartwell. He has earned numerous awards from the American Marketing Association and the Arizona Direct Marketing Association for marketing, branding and market research.

He was invited to the White House by President Clinton for the National Medal of Arts Awards in 1997 and 1998.  Additionally, John spent seven years as an Associate Faculty member of the University of Phoenix where he taught courses in marketing, management and organizational development.  He has been a guest lecturer at Arizona State University, Clemson University, the University of Arizona and the Thunderbird School of Global Management.  John has also served on the U.S.-Mexico High-Level Economic Dialogue (HLED) forum for bilateral economic cooperation and global competitiveness sponsored by U.S. Vice President Biden and Mexican Secretary Videgaray.  

With more than 25 years of volunteer board leadership, John is committed to the community and his profession.  But now, it's time to make the doughnuts as they say.