Jonathan Waxman

Jonathan Waxman is a native Californian whose family taught him an appreciation for food arts from an early age. While selling Ferraris in Berkeley, his employer introduced Jonathan to Tante Marie’s Cooking School in San Francisco. This led to his enrollment in the La Varenne School in Paris where he mastered classic French cooking technique and received the Grand Diplôme.

Jonathan returned to the United States to work at Domaine Chandon in Napa Valley and later with Alice Waters at Chez Panisse. In 1979 he became Executive Chef at Michael’s in Santa Monica. There he developed his version of California cuisine while nurturing future chefs Mark Peel, Gordon Naccarato, Nancy Silverton, Roy Yamaguchi, Kazuto Matsusaka, and many others.

In 1983 Jonathan moved to New York. A year later he opened the celebrated Jams on East 79th Street with business partner Melvyn Master. Jams was followed by Bud’s, Jams London, Table 29 in Napa Valley, and Washington Park in New York.

Today, Jonathan is chef and owner of Barbuto in Manhattan's West Village and Jams in 1 Hotel Central Park. In 2014, he opened his Nashville restaurant, Adele’s, and is a founding partner of Nashville’s Music City Food + Wine Festival.

Jonathan Waxman is the 2016 James Beard Award winner for “Best Chef, New York City”. He was a judge on Bravo’s Recipe for Deception and has appeared on two seasons of Top Chef Masters. Jonathan currently lives in Manhattan with his wife and three children.