MEET OUR
CULINARY
ARTISTS
Each member of the Cotton Culinary team brings a breadth of expertise with them, whether that’s in event catering or running advanced food services in remote locations. Meet our leaders, and learn about their unique skills.
Wade Schindler
Executive Chef
Chef Wade Schindler joined the Cotton Culinary team in 2014 as Executive Chef, where he oversees the menu planning and coordination of catering services for multiple business lines.
Before arriving at Cotton, Chef Wade owned his own catering business, which he started in 1996. During this time, he accumulated an impressive fleet of food trucks and catered a variety of events near and far. His experience in remote site catering and his passion for creativity has been instrumental in the development of Cotton Culinary’s capabilities. In addition to catering corporate and private events, business dining, and Cotton Logistics’ workforce camps, Cotton Culinary feeds large groups in disaster recovery settings.
During emergency response situations, Chef Wade is one of the first members of the Cotton Team to arrive on site. His role is to evaluate the situation and develop a catering plan that can feed all personnel. Chef Wade is also heavily involved in the community and leads the participation of Cotton Culinary in charitable events for organizations like MS150, Boys and Girls Club, CASA and the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo.
Wade Schindler received his Culinary Arts degree from the Western Culinary Institute in Portland.
Significant Projects:
- 2014 - Texas City “Y” Oil Spill
- 2017 - Rodeo Best Bites Champion
- 2017 - Houston - Hurricane Harvey
- 2018 - Florida - Hurricane Michael
- 2020 - Rodeo Best Bites - People’s Choice Award
Erin Cornelius
Strategic Special Events Coordinator
Joining the Cotton Culinary team in 2016 with the goal of building a corporate catering line of business, Erin Cornelius has since transformed her role to encompass full turnkey event services as the brand and its services expanded. Over the years, she has also helped the team respond to major disasters, including Hurricanes Harvey and Laura.
Today, she serves as the Strategic Special Events Coordinator. In her role, Erin oversees the Houston Special Events Team, which includes project managers, cooks and utility workers, and her goal with every project is to turn the client’s vision into a reality.
In her previous role as a Food and Nutrition Service Manager for a school district of over 49,000 students, Cornelius' department saw an increase in sales volume by 250% for event banquets, among many other accomplishments. She has also worked for Landry’s and ran her own business when her children were young. Cornelius' experience within a restaurant setting and in managing the catering services for multiple facilities within a large school system demonstrates her capacity to succeed in Cotton's fast-paced and rapidly expanding Corporate Catering Division.
In her free time, Erin enjoys spending her time with her husband, Brent, and their two sons and going to baseball games.
Kraig Junck
Vice President, Culinary
Kraig Junck joined the team in 2018 as Vice President of Cotton Culinary. Mr. Junck coordinates strategic planning, oversees day-to-day culinary operations, drives financial performance and helps develop safe and healthy dining options.
Since joining Cotton, Mr. Junck has been instrumental in growing the Cotton Culinary brand across each of its focused divisions: corporate catering, business dining, remote site catering and emergency food services. Mr. Junck plays an integral role in the coordination of healthy meals during natural disasters and catastrophic events, working closely with all other areas of the Cotton Team and its diverse components.
Prior to joining the Cotton Team, Mr. Junck worked for many years with other Texas cornerstones: Pappas, serving as Assistant General Manager; Landry’s, where Kraig was a Regional Director; and Buc-ee’s as their Director of Food Services.
Jeff Inman
Director of Operations
Jeff Inman joined the team in 2022 as Director of Operations of Cotton Culinary. Mr. Inman leads the Culinary Operations team of chefs, project coordinators, project managers, cooks and utility team members for all of Cotton Culinary’s focused lines of business. He also oversees day-to-day culinary operations, which include upholding food quality and safety, managing procurement, training employees and maintaining brand and service standards.
Since joining Cotton, Mr. Inman has been instrumental in growing the Corporate Catering and Special Events division. Mr. Inman plays an integral role in the coordination and logistics of all aspects of the Cotton Culinary team and its diverse components.
Before joining the Cotton Team, Mr. Inman worked for many years as an Executive Chef for Landry’s Restaurants and House of Blues, Regional Chef for Compass Group, Director of Operations for Live Nation Entertainment/House of Blues and Vice President of Food and Beverage for Aloha Restaurant Group. During his extensive tenure with some of the highest-volume food service companies in the industry, Mr. Inman was also a Culinary and Hospitality instructor at Houston Community College for over a decade, helping develop future culinary professionals.
