Chef Jason was born in Raleigh, North Carolina, but when he was seven years old, his family moved to Alpharetta, Georgia, where he grew up. After graduating high school, he went to work as a food runner at P. F. Chang’s, which inspired Jason to take a three-month introductory culinary course at Clayton University. As he was taking the culinary course, he discovered how natural it felt to create dishes and cook. His love and passion for cooking grew, so after obtaining his certification from Clayton University in 2002, he went on to Le Cordon
Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Atlanta. He has also received his NASM Nutrition certification.
Chef Jason started his culinary career at Canoe Restaurant, working his way up every line position. He eventually went on to stage at Cherokee Country Club and then was off to Chicago to stage for Charlie Trotter (who is one of his greatest inspirations). Jason eventually returned to Atlanta, continuing his career at The Ritz Carlton as a Chef De Partie, receiving a 5-star award for his performance in the kitchen. After taking a break from cooking to venture into sports nutrition and bodybuilding, in 2020, Chef Jason found his way back into cooking as head chef of SAA Meal Prep Co., where he developed, created and prepared weekly menus.
Any type of pasta dish tops Chef Jason’s list of favorite foods to make. He shares how much he enjoys “the detail and delicate steps you must put into making the pasta, the sauces, and the proteins that come together to create an amazing well-rounded dish.” When it comes to his favorite foods to eat, Jason loves any type of contemporary American fusion and addition to any style of Asian cuisine, Italian cuisine and Korean BBQ. In particular, the Squid Ink Malfadini (charred calamari, native shrimp and mussels) at St Cecilia is a favorite dish of his.
Chef Jason enjoys experimenting with a variety of ingredients, transforming them with different techniques and creating new flavor combinations. Outside of the kitchen, Jason loves to visit farmers markets and attend concerts, and he takes time to maintain a healthy lifestyle by working out, hiking and playing disc golf.
