A native of Germany, Chef Gronert learned his profession through apprenticeships in Culinary and in Baking and Pastry Arts. After joining the German Army, he worked in several establishments and learned the Art of Sugar pulling and blowing. He owned his Sugar Design School for three years and earned his Master's in Baking and Pastry Arts before coming to the United States. Before joining Johnson & Wales University in 1991, he worked at Coccoloba Plantation in the Caribbean and the Culinary Institute of America. He earned a BS degree in Foodservice Management and owned Rococo Bakery in Charleston, SC for ten years. At Johnson & Wales, Chef Gronert taught as a Senior Instructor at the Charleston, Vail, Providence and the Charlotte Campus. His specialties include chocolate, sugar work, baking breads and sweet breads as well as cakes and cake decoration. Recently he relocated to Charleston to join the Summerville High School in 2018 teaching Baking and Pastry Arts.