Page 11 - Leisure Living Spring 2016

Chef in the Spotlight Chef Jamie Simpson of The
Culinary Vegetable Institute at The Chef’s Garden
By JD Noll, Feature Writer
Growing up in Charleston, South Carolina, Jamie Simpson liked music, joined a band and dreamed of being a rock star. He played at night but restaurants were his day job. After high school he traveled the states, but eventu- ally landed back in Charleston working at the opulent, landmark Charleston Grill
at the Charleston Hotel where he
perfected his cooking skills. Chef
Jamie says he fell in love with food at
age 18 or 19 and equates music with
food. “It’s a symphony, a dance and
a creative space.” Ten years later, he
is the Executive Chef for Culinary
Vegetable Institute and Chef Liaison
at the Chef ’s Garden in Milan, OH.
How he came to Milan is quite a story. The Charleston Place Hotel, at the time, was owned by
investors who also owned the European Orient Express luxury train. Whenever Jamie had vaca- tion time, he explored other countries like France, England, Mexico, Peru and Iceland where he dis- covered the broad reach of the Chef ’s Garden. In
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FUN FACTS Chef Jamie Simpson
• Age - 28 and single
• Favorite Junk Foods - Popcorn and
fried chicken
• Favorite Sports - Cycling, soccer
and rock climbing because they are
focused and self driven
• Favorite Team - Teammates at the
Culinary Vegetable Institute: Mariel Carasco, Dario Torres, Marcie Barker, Jill Gray, Michelle Demuth-Bibb, Elizabeth Studer and, of course, Farmer Lee Jones.
• Hobby - Bee Keeping
• How Friends Describe Him -
Creative, crazy, soft spoken, artist, kind hearted, articulate, compassion- ate, smart, exact, and handsome!
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