Grand Rapids' 'Chef O' Receives Presidential Award
Chef O has received the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award for volunteer services for his outstanding commitment to his community.
Chef Oliver Hale, affectionately known as ‘Chef O’, is a retired award-winning chef with an illustrious career spanning over 50 years in the restaurant industry. A two-time kidney transplant recipient, Chef O resides in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Chef O has documented over 4,000 hours of service to achieve this distinguished award with the following organizations:
Chef Oliver Hale, also known as “Chef O,” was presented with the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award for more than 4,000 volunteer hours. (Photo Credit: Michael Buck/WOOD TV8)
Chef O retired in 2010 after a distinguished career. Not only a chef, he worked as an executive producer and host of “Chef O’s Place,” an award-winning TV cooking show that aired from 1999 to 2010 across various Michigan stations. The show featured celebrity guests and diverse menus, earning nine Philo T. Farnsworth Awards from the Alliance for Community Media and the 2001 Producer of the Year Award. Chef O was also invited to appear on Food Network’s “Top Chef” and “Chopped” and served on the Clinton Foundation’s Alliance for a Healthier Generation.
Chef O has been highlighted in prominent publications such as USA Today, Grand Rapids Press, Grand Rapids Magazine, USTA Magazine, U of Toledo Magazine and the New England Journal of Medicine. He has also made movie appearances as a chef in “Someone 2 Luv” (2018) and “Frequent Visitors” (2019).
Chef O dedicates his time to cooking competitions, judging, speaking engagements, recipe writing and healthy cooking demonstrations across the country. His demonstrations have benefited thousands of dialysis patients and have been conducted in numerous cities for various health organizations, including the National Kidney Foundation and several pharmaceutical and insurance companies. In 2019, he was invited to perform an international healthy cooking demo at the World Transplant Games in Newcastle, England.
Chef O is a member of the Meals on Wheels Western Michigan Board of Directors, a committee member for the Midwest Kidney Network, a Field Ambassador for the American Association of Kidney Patients Michigan, a member of the American Culinary Federation, National Kidney Foundation and the United Network of Organ Sharing. He served as a board member for Revive & Thrive from 2019-2023. In 2022, Chef O was named an honoree for the 16 Over 60 Engaged and Inspiring Award. He has also been awarded the Grand Rapids Legacy Award (2016), State of Michigan Appreciation Award (2016), Tri-County Achievement Award (2015), and more.
Chef Oliver Hale, also known as “Chef O,” was presented with the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award for more than 4,000 volunteer hours. (Photo Credit: Michael Buck/WOOD TV8)
Bio provided by Meals on Wheels Western Michigan.
