Chef Jonathan brings 18 years of professional cooking experience in restaurants, hotels, and catering companies on both the East Coast and in the Midwest. The youngest of four, born to Italian and Portuguese parents who met working at the Ritz-Carlton Boston, Jonathan grew up in the world of hospitality. His passion for food and cooking was sparked in a high school culinary arts class, and furthermore, on a trip to Le Cordon Bleu in London. Eventually, it led him to Johnson & Wales University, where he studied Food and Beverage Management. In 2016, Jonathan moved to Chicago to help open Duck Duck Goat, where he remained with Chef Stephanie Izard and Boka Restaurant Group for over seven years. After a brief hiatus from restaurant life, he worked with Boka Catering Group and Ambrosia Foods in the summer of '24. Now, he's pursuing a lifelong dream of working for private clients. Ready to showcase his creativity, passion, and versatility in cooking and hospitality, Jonathan is excited to be apart of EPC.
All prices are an estimation and vary based on guest count, event location, and menu. You will get a better estimate during the booking process.
I was born and grew up in Everett, Massachusetts, a diverse and working-class town just north of Boston. After moving home post-college and working in the city, I made the move to Chicago in 2016, encouraged by my now sister-in-law as a surprise to my older brother Alex. And boy, was he surprised!
I'm pretty easy to please and have many favorite restaurants across the country, but if I had to pick one, I'd say Avec in Chicago is a go-to. Their food always hits, I don’t even need to see the menu to know I’ll have a delicious meal. It’s labeled as a Mediterranean restaurant, but it’s so much more. Signature dishes like their chorizo-stuffed, bacon-wrapped dates roasted in a piquillo pepper tomato sauce, served with beautiful crusty bread from their own bakery have kept them open for over 20 years. How can you go wrong?
My home cooking tends to evolve with time. I’ve always loved making creative eggy breakfasts and over-the-top sandwiches, but these days I’m focusing on a healthier, more whole foods-based diet. Lately I find myself putting together a lot of mixed bowls, based with either a cooked grain or greens mix, two or three different cooked and raw veggies, typically simple cooked chicken or kofta-style meatballs, and a vibrant, oftentimes yogurt-based sauce. Variety in flavors and textures is what keeps food interesting to me.
I don’t think I have one specific cooking specialty, but I’d say I’m on a bit of a personal health journey. From that, I’ve been creating delicious and nourishing meals built around flavorful marinated proteins and an abundance of fresh vegetables. I want the food I create for clients to be enticing—something they look forward to eating. Balanced, satisfying, and exciting.
I come from a large hospitality family, my parents actually met working at the Ritz Carlton Boston together in the '70s. I'm also the youngest of four boys, all of whom started working in restaurants at a young age. I was raised around delicious Italian and Portuguese cooking. My dad loved food and passed that love on to me. We’d watch the Food Network together, he’d take me out for amazing Brazilian churrasco, and when I visited him at the Four Seasons Boston where he worked, he’d tour me around the kitchens and introduce me to all the chefs. You could say I was bread to do this. Pun intended!
I really enjoy biking. Aside from it being my preferred source of physical activity, it also allows me to explore new places in a really, accessible way. Chicago is a great biking city; the grid layout, the endless neighborhoods to discover, and the lakefront path all make it special. Some of my favorite rides include heading north to the Bahá'í House of Worship in Wilmette, south to Calumet Fisheries for awesome smoked fish and fried seafood, and west to the Garfield Park Conservatory.
I enjoy working for EPC because it’s a company built for chefs by chefs. I met Austin years ago while working for Boka Restaurant Group—he was teaching a sanitation class at the time. We kept in touch throughout my career and would occasionally chat about this project he was building. His dedication and passion for creating a platform where chefs can be creative, work for themselves, and enjoy better work/life balance is legit. You feel supported but still have the freedom to do your own thing. Why wouldn’t you want to be a part of that?
Since I’m fairly new to private chef work, let me share what I’m most looking forward to. Working as a private chef introduces you to new people, fresh challenges, and exciting opportunities. Restaurant kitchens can be a lot of fun, but they can also become routine, you’re often confined within the same four walls. With EPC, you’re exposed to a world of possibilities: meal prep, in-home dining, office catering, food shows, restaurant consulting, and so much more. I’m excited for the variety, the flexibility, and all the new experiences this path has to offer.
