Jasper White (born 1954,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

) is a "chef, restaurateur and cookbook author who is recognized as one of the leading authorities on New England food and its history, in particular seafood."

Early life and education

White credits his Italian grandmother for his interest in food. He enrolled at

The Culinary Institute of America The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) is a private culinary school with its primary campus in Hyde Park, New York, and branch campuses in St. Helena and Napa, California; San Antonio, Texas; and Singapore. The college, which was the firs ...

in June 1975 and graduated in 1976. In 1979, he met

Lydia Shire Lydia Shire (born 1948) is a Boston-based chef and restaurateur. Early life and education Born in Connecticut and raised in Brookline, Massachusetts, both of her parents were illustrators. Shire began cooking as early as age four alongside her ...

, another aspiring chef. They worked together at many of the respected hotel dining rooms in Boston such as The Copley Plaza, The Parker House, and The Bostonian Hotel. Shire considers White to be her mentor, and "her best cook friend in the world."

Restaurants

In 1983 he opened Jasper's, a restaurant on Boston's waterfront. It was here that he "carved out a niche in the local food scene deconstructing classics on his haute cuisine menu." It was described as "a Boston, MA landmark famous for seafood and other New England specialties ... (leading) people who thought he was inextricably linked with upscale cuisine." Jasper's closed in 1995. (He closed so he could spend time with his children) For three years afterwards, he was a consultant to Legal Seafoods. White opened Jasper White's Summer Shack in May 2000 in the Alewife section of

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...

. The restaurant also has locations at Mohegan Sun and in Boston's Back Bay. There is a seasonal location on Spectacle Island in the Boston Harbor. The Summer Shack allowed him to "return to his culinary true love of hearty family-style cuisine: authentic and flavorful–not fussy (and) embrace his unpretentious roots." Even though it is meant to be like a seaside clam shack, one gourmet dish from Jasper's is on the menu and it is the one for which he is most famous - pan roasted lobster. Summer Shack was sold to the Lyons Group in 2017and White is no longer involved in the business.

Cookbooks

*''Jasper White’s Cooking from New England'' *''Lobster at Home'' *''Fifty Chowders'' *''The Summer Shack Cookbook: The Complete Guide to Shore Food''

Awards and honors

James Beard Foundation Award The James Beard Foundation Awards are annual awards presented by the James Beard Foundation to recognize chefs, restaurateurs, authors and journalists in the United States. They are scheduled around James Beard's May 5 birthday. The media award ...

for Best Chef: Northeast. *In 2000, the

James Beard Foundation The James Beard Foundation is a New York City-based national non-profit culinary arts organization named in honor of James Beard, a prolific food writer, teacher, and cookbook author, who was also known as the "Dean of American Cookery." The prog ...

nominated The Summer Shack for Best New Restaurant.

Personal life

Jasper and his wife Kathleen, live in the Boston area. They have 6 children and 2 grandchildren.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:White, Jasper American cookbook writers American male non-fiction writers 1954 births Writers from New Jersey Culinary Institute of America Hyde Park alumni American restaurateurs American male chefs Restaurant founders Living people American chief executives of food industry companies James Beard Foundation Award winners Chefs from Massachusetts