Chicago native David Burns knew he wanted to be a chef from a young age. After graduating from Kendall College in 1994, David took his first post-grad position at the Hotel Nikko Chicago, working in the garde manger under the watchful eye of Jean-Pierre Henri.

From the Hotel Nikko, Burns went to work as a line cook at Le Bouchon under Chef Jean Claude Poilevey, eventually rising to Sous Chef.

In 1994, David moved to Atlanta to work under Chef Jean Banchet at Riviera restaurant; then returned to Chicago in 1997 to work at the Ritz Carlton Dining Room with Chef Sarah Stegner. From there, he reunited with Jean-Claude Poilevey to become Chef de Cuisine at La Sardine, a Parisian café he helmed until 2001.

Burns next took on the role of Executive Sous Chef for Levy Restaurants. By 2003, David Burns was the Executive Chef of Le Méridien Chicago (later called The Conrad Chicago), managing food and beverage operations including that of restaurant Cerise.

Finally- realizing a dream for any kid in Chicago- David took over all culinary operations for Wrigley Field in 2006. Now the Senior Executive Chef for the Wrigley Field campus, Chef Burns oversees all culinary operations of the ballpark, American Airlines Conference Center, Cubs players and associates dining, Wrigley Rooftops and the DraftKings Sportsbook.