James Jermyn

Expert Interview: James Jermyn

Behind the Chef

What were your favorite foods growing up?
Fish & chips and my mother's chicken cordon bleu.

When did you decide you wanted to be a chef?
I enjoyed cooking from a young age. After high school, my family recognized my passion for cooking and encouraged me to pursue it.

Where and when did your career in food begin?
In 1996 at my first real restaurant called Lamp Lighter in Charlotte.

If you didn't become a chef, what would you be?
I thought I was going to become a veterinarian.

Who/What shaped you cooking the most over the years?
My mother really got me interested in cooking, but I have also learned something significant in each restaurant I have worked.

How would you describe your cuisine?
Contemporary American Cuisine.

What influences your cooking style and particularly the menu at your restaurant?
Fresh seasonal ingredients and being able to have quality products available.

What are your favorite culinary weapons in the kitchen?
My Wusthof knives and the emulsion blenders.

What is your favorite secret ingredient?
I love using lemons and tomatoes.

What is the one rule or value you try to instill in all of your staff?
Taste everything being served to the guest, and if you would not serve it to your family don't serve it to the guests.

What qualities do you look for when hiring cooks for your restaurant?
Honesty and a great work ethic.

If I'm trying to watch my weight and I'm eating at your restaurant, what am I ordering to eat?
I have a nice whole Branzini served with caramelized lemon and citrus salt.

What was your worst restaurant disaster?
It was a very busy lunch when a grease fire started up and went through our ducts. The fire department came in and ripped the kitchen apart.

What is your least favorite food?
Calf's liver.

What is your beverage of choice?
A nice glass of lemon iced tea.

When you are not eating at your own restaurant, where are you eating?
A Salt & Battery, Spotted Pig, and Peasant.

Which foreign country inspires your style most?
Italy.

What was the most spectacular meal you have ever had?
Living in New York City I have the opportunity to taste some of the best food you can find in the world.

What is your best cooking tip for a home enthusiast?
Don't make it complicated.

What do you eat when you are home?
My family recipe for spaghetti and meatballs.

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Expert Profile

Raised in North Carolina, James Jermyn learned the art of cooking from his mother and grandmother, who specialized in down-home Southern cuisine.

Experimenting with family recipes gave him a passion to expand his culinary knowledge. Jermyn enrolled in the culinary arts program at Central Piedmont Community College. He worked throughout college cooking on the line at a local Charlotte restaurant. After graduation, he joined the American bistro, Undercurrent, in Greensboro, NC, where he continued to hone his skills as sous chef, gaining a deeper knowledge of diverse ingredients and participating in every aspect of running a small regional restaurant.

His growing base of culinary knowledge spurred Jermyn to relocate to New York to learn from some of the most highly regarded chefs in the restaurant business. He landed a coveted position at La Goulue under chef Philippe Schmit and was quickly moved to the opening team of Orsay, where he served as tournant and saucier when the restaurant was awarded two stars by the New York Times. Jermyn took an opportunity to work with chef Neil Murphy at Park Avenue Cafe as his chef de cuisine, preparing contemporary American menus based on produce from local farms.

Jermyn brings years of experience and passion to bear in his role as Executive Chef of Maloney & Porcelli.