Jerome Grant is an American chef in Washington, D.C., most notable as Sweet Home Café's inaugural executive chef of the historic

National Museum of African American History and Culture The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) is a Smithsonian Institution museum located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., in the United States. It was established in December 2003 and opened its permanent home in ...

and his tenure at the Mitsitam Café of the

National Museum of the American Indian The National Museum of the American Indian is a museum in the United States devoted to the culture of the indigenous peoples of the Americas. It is part of the Smithsonian Institution group of museums and research centers. The museum has three ...

. Grant and his recipes have been featured in ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'', ''

Time Magazine ''Time'' (stylized in all caps) is an American news magazine based in New York City. For nearly a century, it was published weekly, but starting in March 2020 it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York City on Mar ...

'', ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', ''

Washingtonian Magazine ''Washingtonian'' is a monthly magazine distributed in the Washington, D.C. area. It was founded in 1965 by Laughlin Phillips and Robert J. Myers. The magazine describes itself as "The Magazine Washington Lives By". The magazine's core focuses ar ...

'', ''

Bon Appétit ''Bon Appétit'' is a monthly American food and entertaining magazine, that typically contains recipes, entertaining ideas, restaurant recommendations, and wine reviews. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquartered at the One World Trade Center i ...

'', ''

National Geographic Channel National Geographic (formerly National Geographic Channel; abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo or Nat Geo TV) is an American pay television television network, network and flagship (broadcasting), flagship channel owned by the National Geograp ...

'', and '' Travel and Leisure Magazine'' among other notable publications. He also appeared on an episode of ''

The Chew ''The Chew'' is an American cooking-themed talk show that aired for seven seasons from September 26, 2011 to June 28, 2018, having replaced the soap opera ''All My Children'', on ABC as part of the network's weekday daytime lineup. The name wa ...

'' that aired on ABC and was a guest chef on ''

The Today Show ''Today'' (also called ''The Today Show'' or informally, ''NBC News Today'') is an American news and talk morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It was ...

''.

Early life

Grant was born in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. He spent most of his childhood living in various parts of the United States, including New York, Oklahoma, and California. His mother and stepfather later settled in

Fort Washington, Maryland Fort Washington is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. It borders the Potomac River, situated 20 miles south of the downtown Washington, DC. As of the 2020 census it had a popul ...

, where Grant attended high school. He graduated from

Oxon Hill High School Oxon Hill High School (OHHS) is a public senior high school, located in Oxon Hill, an unincorporated area in Prince George's County, Maryland, and a suburb of Washington, D.C. in the United States. Upon his graduation, Grant moved to Saint Croix and started his culinary career at the Renaissance St. Croix Carambola Beach Resort and Spa. Shortly thereafter, he was named the 2004 "Best New Chef in Saint Croix" and 2004 "Young and Most Talented Chef of the Virgin Islands" by the ''Virgin Voice Newspaper''. In 2005, Grant opened The Mix Lounge in Saint Croix as part-owner and executive chef. In 2006, Grant moved back to the United States and was hired as the executive sous chef to open Urbana Restaurant at the Hotel Palomar in Washington, D.C. He stayed for two years before accepting the position as sous chef at the Mitsitam Café inside the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian. In 2012, he played a critical role in the Mitsitam team that received a RAMMY for ''2012 Best Casual Restaurant''. That same year, Grant represented Team USA at the Global Meat and Livestock Blackbox Challenge in Tasmania, AU, where they received the Silver Certificate. In 2013, Grant co-founded a lucrative yet short-lived catering business known as Details Catering. Grant served numerous high-profile clients in Washington, D.C. including First Lady

Michelle Obama Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama (born January 17, 1964) is an American attorney and author who served as first lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017. She was the first African-American woman to serve in this position. She is married t ...

. In spring 2014, Grant was tapped as the executive chef of Mitsitam Café, where he and his team transcended cafeteria dining on the mall by running a kitchen that emphasizes the importance of cooking from scratch and utilizing whole animals, paying homage to the Native American tradition. He also introduced distinctive ingredients such as chicken gizzards and frog legs to the museum dining scene. Grant is known for his innovative approach of incorporating indigenous techniques and ingredients into distinctive dishes for the modern day palate. In 2016,

Lonnie Bunch Lonnie G. Bunch III (born November 18, 1952) is an American educator and historian. Bunch is the 14th Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, the first African American and first historian to serve as head of the Smithsonian. He has spent ...

"enlisted Mitsitam's executive chef, Grant to help launch the new Sweet Home Cafe" as the inaugural executive chef inside the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Books

In 2018, Grant co-authored ''Sweet Home Cafe Cookbook: A Celebration of African American Cooking'' alongside

and Jessica B. Harris. The book features recipes for the Sweet Home Cafe's most popular dishes and the stories behind each dish as it corresponds to the museum's exhibits. The book chronicles the diaspora of African-American foodways through recipes and details the regional techniques of African-American cooking.

Awards and recognition

Sweet Home Cafe received a 2017 James Beard nomination for Best New Restaurant. Grant received a 2019 James Beard nomination for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic. Grant was a recipient of the 2018 StarChefs Rising Star Award for the D.C.-Chesapeake region. He is also featured in ''Washington Life Magazine''s 2019 "Young & the Guest List: 40 Under 40" for his work at the Sweet Home Cafe and in the community.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grant, Jerome Living people Chefs from Washington, D.C. American male chefs American chefs African-American chefs Filipino chefs Smithsonian Institution people National Museum of the American Indian People from Fort Washington, Maryland American people of Filipino descent American people of Jamaican descent People from Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century African-American people