We are shivering with excitement about our new summer menu. This menu is still European-inspired, but with a little more Italian influence than our previous French-only menu. We think you’ll love these new additions. High-end food at an approachable price is what our Chef strives for. But who is our Chef? Well, this is a question we’ve had a lot, so allow us to introduce him.
Chef Cornelius Ward was born in the state of Hawaii, in Kailua on O’ahu island. Here, he spent his early years and developed his passion for cooking. His family was his main inspiration, and his aunts’ bakery on the island gave him his first taste of the culinary world. From his island home, his military family moved around a lot, transporting him from the West coast to East coast, but most of these adolescent years were spent in Oceanside, California. He attended the Inland Empire Culinary School in San Bernardino Cali. After writing them a letter at age 17 and receiving a full scholarship, he graduated in 2013. From here, he has worked all over the country, gaining experience in many different cuisines and styles. He started work as a chef in Texas, eventually he became an Executive Sous Chef at Catch Steak in Aspen Colorado. After which he worked as Executive Chef in Boise ID, Cherry Creek CO, and finally in Riverton UT. Even spending some time as a personal chef to a bodybuilder before joining Purple Sky in 2025. He loves working here at Purple Sky and we love having him.
Chef Cornelius truly believes you can taste the difference between food made for a paycheck, and food made from passion. The kind of passion he experienced while eating with family in his youth. His goal here at Purple Sky is to make high end delicious food that can’t be found elsewhere around Utah, but also made with the touch of love that you could taste in your grandmother’s dishes. Outside of the winery he loves to spend time with his family. With his wife and two boys is where you’ll find him on his days off. They are found together out in nature, spending time cooking at home, or playing his other life long love, basketball. The Rockets are his favorite team, but we’ll see if we can’t convert him to the Jazz.
