The 1913 Room, at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel in Grand Rapids, is strongly influenced by Christian Madsen, Chef DeCuisine. Within one year of his appointment, the restaurant received the exclusive AAA Five Diamond Award in 2002. Madsen has helped us maintain the coveted designation every year since the initial presentation of the award.

Under Madsen's leadership the past eight years, The 1913 Room is a two-time winner of the Grand Rapids Magazine “Restaurant of the Year” and is a five-time recipient of the magazine's “Fine Dining Award.” Throughout his career, which spans over two decades, Madsen has been personally recognized for his culinary ability with numerous accolades. Most recently, Grand Rapids Magazine readers named him the “Best Chef” in 2008. He is a bronze-medal winner in the AmericanCulinary Federation (ACF) cooking competition and has been a featured chef for the past three years in the ACF “Seven Courses of Gold” dinners. Madsen's recipes were published in the Savor Michigan Cookbook, and he was named the Michigan Hotel, Motel, and Resort Association's “Culinary Star of the Year” in 2005.

Madsen began his 11-year tenure with the Amway Grand Plaza as Chef DeCuisine at Bentham's Riverfront Restaurant, then moved on to the Four Diamond Cygnus 27. A self-taught chef, Madsen received no formal culinary training, and mastered his skills by working in kitchens during his teen years and seeking out culinary mentors.

As a Michigan native, Chef Madsen is dedicated to helping his community and for six years he has been a volunteer mentor to the Fruitport High School Culinary team in Fruitport, Michigan. Under his guidance, the team claimed the state title for five consecutive years at the ProStart Invitational and claimed three top-five finishes at the national competition.