Meet our Sous

Since things are moving along so nicely, I think it’s about time to introduce you to our chefs! The first one I sat down with is Jared Thate -one of our two sous chefs. Jared is originally from Tennessee in the Appalachian Mountains. He moved to Gainesville to get his degree in Biological Anthropology from the University of Florida. In 2004, he moved to Orlando to attend Le Cordon Bleu. From there he worked at Norman’s at the Ritz Carlton Grande Lakes and became the Sous Chef on the hotel side. He then became Lead Chef Instructor at the Technical Education Center Osceola (Commercial Foods and Culinary Arts). During his time there, they cooked for the high school and the meals were 100% fresh and made from scratch. They even won awards for it!

Jared will be our daytime Sous Chef, which suits him perfectly as he gets to spend the evenings with his family. He adds a very unique perspective on southern cuisine from his Tennessee upbringing and is already finding small farms that are producing East Tennessee Truffles and Sorghum. When we begin Sunday brunches, he will be working closely with Dennis to create a soulful menu each week that will be a spin-off on everyday foods with southern ingredients, precisely done (not the leftovers from the week thrown into an omelet). Although they’re still in planning phases, some of his ideas are waffles & pork belly, truffled eggs in a nest with house smoked fish & pastries from scratch!