Spend
any time eating at St. Pete Brasserie and you
can sense the passion with which J Ward,
Executive Chef, executes his cooking. At 36
years old, he has paid his dues in restaurant
kitchens.
His inspiration came from traveling around
Europe while his father was in the Air Force. J
and his family lived in Spain, Italy and
Germany, also visiting most of the other
European countries. "Most of my inspiration
comes from attempting to duplicate the flavors I
remember from spending those 15 years overseas,"
he says. "In that time I had the opportunity to
enjoy some amazing food."
He began at Shell's (seafood restaurant) near
USF while attending college. When he graduated,
he went out and got the requisite sales position
that many college students end up with after
their four year trials. But he found out he
really missed cooking. He never gave up working
in the kitchen and continued to cook while
working his day job to make ends meet.
J decided to head into cooking full time and
landed a position at Michael's Grill in Tampa.
He began to develop his own personal style and
also learned the basics of classical cuisine. He
stayed there for several years and learned
everything from the making of stocks to the
elements of sauces. When he felt he was ready,
he accepted a Head Chef position at an Italian
restaurant in Tampa. Unfortunately, it only
stayed open for a year. To keep working, he
started doing catering gigs with Mise en Place
and that is where the real magic began.
Chef Marty Blitz hails from Michigan and opened
Mise en Place in Tampa more than 20 years ago.
Having begun his career at the American Culinary
Federation, Chef Marty was an ideal mentor for
Chef J. Mise en Place is all about seasonal
cooking and using the freshest (preferably
local) ingredients around. "Mise is where I
really learned how to refine my cooking and give
myself a solid background in French cuisine," J
says. "I think I learned more at Mise in the
first year then I had learned my entire career.
I am grateful to Chef Marty and the other chefs
there for making me the chef I am today."
When Table on Central was looking for a new chef
about a year ago, Chef J saw it as an
opportunity to expand his repertoire in cooking.
However, the menu was not the genre that he felt
most comfortable cooking in. While he did an
adequate job bringing Table's menu to life, he
was thrilled when Andrew (Wilko) Wilkins took
the reins of the restaurant and it became St.
Pete Brasserie.
Chef J and Wilko see eye to eye on the basics of
French cooking. They put together an inspired
menu filled with classics like Confit of Duck,
Cassoulet and Steak Frites. The atmosphere in
the restaurant is completely different under
their direction. It is a true neighborhood
brasserie, with a comfortable, intimate dining
room that many locals consider their home away
from home.
Our thanks to Elizabeth Dougherty for this
article.
