A Grand Marnier soufflé for Bill Cosby, stuffed cabbage rolls for Hulk Hogan, a velvety chocolate mousse for John Belushi, latticed apple flan for Demi Moore, glazed salmon a la parisienne for James Earl Jones, veal casserole for Hockey great Wayne Gretzsky, and steak tartare for Dave Thomas of Wendy’s. European trained pastry/catering chef Dean Kropp has catered to the stars. Celluloid, sports, or whatever. After graduating from the JJC Culinary Arts Program in Joliet, where they shot Prison Break, Dean has held a wide range of posts, both domestic and abroad. For example, he was Executive Pastry Chef at both the Wyndham Rose Hall in Montego Bay (Jamaica) and the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, former stamping ground of Elvis.

2000: C-Cap Award for outstanding contributions to the Culinary Arts.
2000: Communicator Award for the best commercial, AT&T Media Services.
1999: Recognition for pursuit of Culinary Excellence supporting the United States Army Culinary Arts Program.
1998: Recognition for Generosity and sharing Culinary Expertise with the Multiple Disabled Students of 811K, Brooklyn.
1996: Gold Medal, Culinary Olympics, Berlin, Germany, American Natural Foods Team Coordinator.
1995: International Who's Who for Professional, academic and civil achievements.
1991: Recognized for outstanding sales of Carma chocolate products in New York City.
1987: Gold Medal for Pastry Presentation, Wyndham Rose Hall Hotel, Montego Bay, Jamaica.
1982: Gold Medal and Grand Prize for Pastry, Hotel Peabody, Memphis, TN.
1981: Bronze Medal for Pastry, Swiss Pastry House, Chicago, IL.
1980: Bronze Medal for Garde Manger, 95th Floor Restaurant, Chicago, IL.