Reservations
Meet the Chefs
Only The Best Will Do at The Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center
The freshest ingredients prepared Bistro-style and house-made, signature ice creams are the hallmarks of Preston's menu. Farm fresh dining at Preston’s Restaurant. When ingredients are grown locally, meals simply taste better.
For more information call us at 540-231-0120 or click here to email us.
Executive Chef, Chad Brodkin
Chad Brodkin is the Executive Chef at The Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center. Chef Chad began working in kitchens in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania as a dishwasher. He soon realized that his love of art and food was a perfect match for his future. He moved up through the ranks at area restaurants until he graduated high school. After a three-year apprenticeship with the American Culinary Federation and experience cooking at area resort hotels, he accepted his first position as an executive chef for Resorts, U.S.A., in northeastern Pennsylvania.
He has won thirteen gold, silver and bronze medals—as well as two best-in-show awards—in American culinary competitions. In 1992, he competed in Frankfurt, Germany, on the American Natural Foods Culinary Olympic team. This team won a gold medal that year for a totally vegan display, which was the first of its kind in the competition’s history. Four years later, this team again won Olympic gold in Berlin, Germany, and set an Olympic trend for years to come as national teams are now required to include a vegan display among their entries.
Preston’s Chef, Jason Smith
When it comes to home grown, Jason Smith, the new head chef for Preston’s Restaurant at The Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center, has it covered from all angles. Raised in Floyd, Virginia, Jason admits he’s a country boy, but by his cooking one would never know. His culinary expertise was honed at a number of notable establishments: Chateau Morrisette, Poor Billy’s, The Homestead, Vincents Ristorante, and The River Company Restaurant and Brewery.
Jason proves his ability as a well-rounded and versatile chef with cooking experiences that start with his classic Italian roots to his love for island and tropical blends. He particularly enjoys incorporating in-area produce, meats, fruits, spices and herbs into his menus to further the local farm-to-table movement. Even though Jason has been in the industry since 1999, he still feels like he’s just starting. “Food is more than something that can fill you up,” Jason says, “It's what makes people happy.”
