Meet J.D.
John-David Skene
Culinary graduate. International athlete. Taekwondo student. The creative force behind Barrier Buster.
Trained for the kitchen. Thinking about who gets to work in it.
John-David earned a cooking diploma, and with it a professional understanding of how a working kitchen runs.
He also lives with cerebral palsy. That combination, culinary training and lived experience, shapes how he looks at a kitchen: not only at the food, but at the counters, tools and routines that decide who can work there comfortably and safely.
His interest in accessible kitchens grows from a simple conviction: skill and passion for food should not be filtered out by a workspace that was designed around one way of moving.
A commitment to learning.
J.D. has completed two diplomas, each adding a different kind of expertise to Barrier Buster.
- Cooking diploma
- Professional culinary training: the practical foundation for understanding how kitchens work.
- Recreation leadership diploma
- Training in leading activities and programs, with a focus on helping people take part.
Representing Canada.
Shot putJavelin
John-David represented Canada internationally in shot put and javelin, two events that reward power, technique and many hours of repetition.
Taekwondo, and the road to 2027.
J.D. is proud of what he has achieved in Taekwondo, and he is working toward earning his black belt in 2027.
Taekwondo rewards patience: each new belt means mastering techniques, forms and discipline before moving on. It is a practice built on persistence and a willingness to keep learning, qualities he brings to everything he takes on.
Why Barrier Buster.
Barrier Buster brings John-David’s training, experience and ambition together around one goal: kitchens where talent, not design, decides who succeeds.
It is a platform for ideas: a place to describe the barriers professional kitchens can create, explore what could change, and invite the cooks, designers, educators and manufacturers who could help. The ideas shared here are concepts for discussion and development, not products.
Positive, determined, and someone who turns dreams into achievements: that is how his cousin Curt describes him.