Metro Detroit chef Chad Barrett has made a name for himself in the culinary world, with appearances on Guy Fieri's "Guy's Grocery Games" and various restaurant ventures. However, his career has also been marked by controversy, including allegations of domestic violence.
Early Career and "Guy's Grocery Games"
Barrett started his culinary career as a dishwasher at age 14 and now is a sous chef at Chapman House in Rochester. Barrett's career is remarkable in that he has no formal college or university training, but learned the chef trade on his own through hard work, networking and experience.
Barrett, 32, made his first appearance on “Guy’s Grocery Games” in 2017, earning $16,000. He competed in Season 12, Episode 8, on Feb. The show features culinary star Guy Fieri, who poses wacky challenges to chefs. The cooking competition features culinary star and character Guy Fieri, who pits three chefs against each other in a grocery store - Flavortown Market - and poses wacky challenges on them.
To be successful on the Food Network show “Guy’s Grocery Games,” chefs must learn to cope with unusual challenges. For example, chefs may not be allowed to use a cart as they peruse the store to gather ingredients for their dish, or they may only be allowed to use frozen foods, or the chefs may be forced to swap stations and cook with what the competing chef’s ingredients.
“I used to watch ‘Guy’s Grocery Games’ pretty much every Sunday on my days off. It was amazing to finally meet someone I watched on TV for so many years,” he says of Fieri. That is, until he had to do it with a camera in his face and 30 or 40 people staring at him. That was a whole different ball game. “Running around the store with cameras in your face, cooking like you’re on the line,” he says. “It’s an incredible challenge because there is a huge clock and the clock is staring at you and you’re staring at the clock. The Triple G set is actually a warehouse in a nondescript industrial complex about an hour north of San Francisco.
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Barrett says can’t say much about his appearance on the show before it airs, but he says the experience “feels like a dream.”“I look forward to everyone watching to see how I performed under pressure,” says Barrett, who credits his needing to work at an early age with his current culinary career.
Barrett says his son was stillborn in July, and the grief motivated him to do his best in his professional life. Less than a year ago, Barrett and his wife, Kristen, suffered the loss of their son. The horrific event might seem insurmountable, but Barrett used it as motivation. “After that, I motivated myself to use my emotions to further my career,” Barrett told the Ferndale-based magazine about the loss of his son, Logan. It is unclear who the mother was.
Restaurant Ventures and Culinary Style
Originally from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Barrett moved to Michigan at age 16, living in Hamtramck. He began working in a kitchen at age 14, washing dishes at the country club where his single mother worked. “My mom was in the restaurant business,” Barrett said. “I found a passion, I saw creative options. A lot of jobs taught me kind of how to be organized, creative, how to really work hard, really propel yourself forward.
Barrett was formerly a sous chef at the Chapman House in Rochester and also worked at Toasted Oak Grill and Market in Novi. The timing lined up with Executive Chef Chris Cason opening The Chapman House in Rochester, so Barrett jumped at the chance to learn from one of the best. He’s been there since July 2016. For now he’s happy learning from Chef Chris and moving forward with his family. At Toasted Oak that he found a mentor which allowed him to obtain a greater view of the industry.
It was after his Food Network win in 2017 that he began to work to add “consultant” to his resume, Barrett said. “I felt my knowledge in the industry could really be used. With a lot of people opening restaurants, they need help. Barrett recently moved from Troy to New Baltimore. He currently consults at Miles on the Water in Mount Clemens. Miles on the Water, at 240 North River Road, held its ribbon cutting Aug. 1. With a location on the Clinton River, the restaurant features a tiki bar.
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“I wanted to take it to a chef driven smokehouse, to make everything in house. Miles on the Water replaced the Double D Bar and Grill, which shut down due to foreclosure. “I like to sit back and watch things turn from something small into something big,” Barrett said. “I like to interact with the guests -and talk to them and see how they are enjoying the food. Barrett plans to offer a cooking class on Sept. The menu will consist of three fall inspired courses. The class will be held at Miles on the Water. Wine parings will be included as well as take home recipes. Signed plates from the chefs involved will also be included.
Barrett calls his cooking style “Modern American with French technique,” although that probably does not apply to his favorite guilty pleasure food, Velveeta Shells and Cheese. Even the standard old boxed dinner gets some pizazz, though.
Chef Matt Bray, Chef Chad Barrett, and Dan Nestorovski, owner, are opening a new restaurant. “It’s been going great,” he said. “We’re looking to do something different. I’ve been making pizza for 20 years. “Everything is fresh,” Barrett said. Barrett, a Royal Oak resident, also brings his recent experience on the Food Network show Guy’s Grocery Games.
“I am proof that hard work pays off. Growing up poor and raised by my single mother I had to get a job early on, which happened to turn into a wonderful career for me,” he said. “We met for just a few minutes and I hired him on the spot,” the restaurant owner said.
Barrett also spoke of future plans, including a food tour. “I’ll be appearing at various festivals,” Barrett said, adding those will include a food and wine festival in New York hosted by the Food Network on Oct. 12 and another appearance in Kalamazoo on Oct. 5.
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Controversy and Allegations of Domestic Violence
The Food Network has dropped its support of Chad Barrett following the Free Press’ publication of a story detailing the local chef’s history of domestic violence and the fresh charges he faces in New Baltimore. Barrett previously appeared on two episodes of the Food Network show “Guy’s Grocery Games,” hosted by Guy Fieri, and participated in a Food Network-affiliated festival in New York City. “He participated in the festival in 2019 but he will not be participating in future events.”
Barrett is a longtime local restaurant cook who gained notoriety after two Food Network appearances in 2017 and 2019. He was hired as the executive chef, he is not, and has never been owner or partner at FEAST. That being said he is no longer a part of FEAST team and is not involved with FEAST in anyway shape or form. The FEAST team has been, and still is, working very hard to bring a positive, exciting culinary experience. Along with jobs to Chesterfield, New Baltimore and the surrounding communities, Our team at FEAST does NOT condone nor support domestic violence or violence of any kind."
Reached by phone Friday, Barrett said he was no longer working on the Feast opening and declined to comment further. Chad Barrett - a longtime metro Detroit chef who was set to helm a new restaurant in Chesterfield - is facing domestic violence charges in Macomb County, and several allegations of abuse on social media. According to the Macomb County District Court Barrett is awaiting a pretrial hearing on July 16 on charges of domestic violence.
Barrett's arraignment was originally set for June 11 in the 42nd District Court in New Baltimore; a court clerk said on Friday that this was his second domestic violence offense. The plaintiff in the July case is Barrett's ex-wife, Kari Barrett (née Spatafore), a dental hygienist in Chesterfield.“The abuse started rather quickly," Kari Barrett said by phone Friday. "And I didn’t want anybody else to be a victim of his abuse and I needed to do something about it. Our stories were pretty identical," said Kari Barrett, who declined to speak about the specifics of the upcoming case. The couple had a whirlwind relationship that went from dating to marriage to filing for divorce in the span of nine months. "The physical abuse didn't start until after we were married, but the emotional and verbal abuse was happening before that," she said. "If things like that happen really quickly and it takes you by surprise, it's like they hand you little crumbs of love and abuse all at the same time and you're in a constant state of confusion.”
Sarah Natushko also alleges that Barrett was abusive during their seven months together. She said she was seriously injured by Barrett in 2011, which resulted in a trip to Henry Ford Macomb and, she says, 31 stitches in her arm. Natushko said she was six weeks pregnant at the time. Natushko said she pressed charges against Barrett in October 2011, but the details of the case were sealed as part of a plea arrangement. A court clerk at the 41-A District Court in Sterling Heights confirmed by phone that Barrett was a defendant in a domestic violence case stemming from an offense on Oct. 29, 2011, against Sarah Filliccia (Natushko's maiden name). The clerk said the case ended in a plea deal on April 26, 2012.
Natushko says Barrett was abusive throughout their seven-month-long relationship.“I didn't expect to feel a physical (weight) lifted off my chest,” Natushko wrote in a text message Monday following the moves by the Food Network. “But that's what it feels like. It's very emotional for me because I've been bearing the pain for so long. It was like those articles drudged it back up and it took away my importance. Seeing people praise him made me feel like I didn't matter. It made me feel like what I have been through, what I had survived and saved my child from, didn't matter. I feel vindicated and free. People are finally listening and, more importantly, they are standing by us now.”
"My child is 50% his blood," Natushko said through tears. "I’m going to cry right now. It hurts so bad to read all these people praising him like he’s such a good person ...." Natushko said Barrett is the biological father of her 8-year-old daughter, who was legally adopted by Natushko’s husband.
Related: Barrett recently was preparing to open a new restaurant, Feast, on 23 Mile in Chesterfield. He was hired as the executive chef, he is not, and has never been owner or partner at FEAST. That being said he is no longer a part of FEAST team and is not involved with FEAST in anyway shape or form. The FEAST team has been, and still is, working very hard to bring a positive, exciting culinary experience. Along with jobs to Chesterfield, New Baltimore and the surrounding communities, Our team at FEAST does NOT condone nor support domestic violence or violence of any kind."
The men also have a love of family in common - the main reason Barrett decided to try out for the show.
Here is a summary of the allegations and legal actions against Chad Barrett:
| Date | Event | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Oct. 29, 2011 | Domestic Violence Incident | Sarah Natushko alleges abuse, resulting in 31 stitches. Charges were pressed, and the case ended in a plea deal on April 26, 2012. |
| July 2024 | Domestic Violence Charges | Barrett faces charges in Macomb County, with his ex-wife, Kari Barrett, as the plaintiff. |
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