Thomas E. Peer

1954 - 2025

Thomas Edward Peer, 71, of Greensburg, passed away Saturday, May 10, 2025, from injuries sustained in an automobile accident. He was born Feb. 1, 1954, in Pittsburgh, a son of the late Eugene and Juliene (Kearns) Peer. Tom was a graduate of Jeannette High School, where he played football and was on the 1971 State Championship Team. He was a certified Master Chef and Culinary Educator with over 45 years of experience. He was a member of the American Academy of Chefs and a founding board member of the Federation of Dining Room Professionals. He also served as the National Certification chair for the American Culinary Federation from 1992 to 1997. His career began as a senior chef-instructor at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, from 1983 until 1987. He went on to become the executive chef and director of food and beverage operations at the Duquesne Club in Pittsburgh, serving there until 1994. He served as vice president at the Chestnut Ridge Inn on the Green Resort in Blairsville, PA, from 1994 until 1997. He then returned to the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, where he served as Director of Food and Beverage Operations from 1997 to 2007, Executive Director of Restaurant Education and Operations from 2007 to 2014, and Associate Dean of Restaurant Education in 2015 and 2016. He moved on to become the Certified Master Chef at the Rolling Rock Club in Ligonier from 2016 until 2018 and Executive Director of Culinary Development for the George Delallo Co. from 2019 until 2020. He remained active in the industry through his own company, Thomas E. Peer, CMC, Food Service Consultants, LLC, which he started in 2017. He was a recipient of many awards and accolades during his career including: the Laurel Highlands Chapter of American Culinary Federation Chef of the Year in 1982, the American Culinary Federation Presidential Medallion Award in 1992, 1993, and 1996, the American Culinary Federation Pittsburgh Culinary Salon Gold Medal and Best of Show in 1981 and 1983, the Culinary Institute of America Culinary Team Member Best of Show and Honor Medallion of French Republic in 1986, the American Culinary Federation Education Institute Award, the Restaurants and Institutions Ivy Award from the American Bounty Restaurant, the Escoffier Room, and the Ristorante Caterina de'Medici, the Cutting Edge Award from the ACF at the 2021 National Convention, and the first ever Chaine des Rotisseurs-Academie Brillat-Savarin Medal at the ACF National Convention in 2021. He is survived by his two sons, who he was very proud of and meant the world to him, Coleman L. Peer and Declan K. Peer; his brother, James A. Peer (Charlotte); and a number of nieces and nephews. Friends will be received from 3 until 8 p.m., on Friday, May 16, 2025, at the HARTMAN-GRAZIANO FUNERAL HOME INC., 1500 Ligonier St., Latrobe. Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m., on Saturday, May 17, 2025, in the Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, 331 Weldon St., Latrobe, with the church pastors officiating. Everyone, please go directly to the church. Interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to a scholarship fund to be set up in Tom's name at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Checks should be made out to The Foundation at IUP, and the Thomas Peer Scholarship Fund should be put in the memo and sent to Foundation at IUP, Sutton Hall Suite 419, 1011 South Drive, Indiana, PA, 15705. To post an online condolence, please visit www.hartman-grazianofuneralhome.com.