Jasper White (chef)

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Jasper White
Born(1954-05-28)May 28, 1954
New Jersey, U.S.
DiedMay 11, 2024(2024-05-11) (aged 69)
EducationCulinary Institute of America
SpouseKathleen
Culinary career
Cooking style“New England food”
Current restaurant(s)
    • Jasper’s (closed)
    • Jasper White’s Summer Shack
Award(s) won
    • James Beard Foundation Award

Jasper White (May 28, 1954 – May 11, 2024) was an American chef, restaurateur and cookbook author. He was considered to be a leading authority on the cuisine and food industry of New England, with a particular focus on seafood.[1]

Early life and education[edit]

Jasper White was born in New Jersey on May 28, 1954.[2] He credited his Italian grandmother with his interest in food.

White enrolled at The Culinary Institute of America in June 1975 and graduated in 1976.[2] In 1979, he met Lydia Shire, 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.[2] Shire considers White to be her mentor,[3][4] and "her best cook friend in the world."[5][6]

Restaurants[edit]

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."[7] 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.)[8] For three years afterwards, he was a consultant to Legal Seafoods.[6]

White opened Jasper White's Summer Shack in May 2000 in the Alewife section of Cambridge. The restaurant also has locations at Mohegan Sun[9] and in Boston's Back Bay. There is a seasonal location on Spectacle Island in the Boston Harbor.[10] 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."[7] 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.[11][12] Summer Shack was sold to the Lyons Group in 2017 and White was no longer involved in the business.[13]

Personal life and death[edit]

Jasper and his wife, Kathleen, lived in the Boston area. They had six children and two grandchildren.[2] He died on May 11, 2024, at the age of 69.[14]

Cookbooks[edit]

  • Jasper White’s Cooking from New England
  • Lobster at Home
  • Fifty Chowders
  • The Summer Shack Cookbook: The Complete Guide to Shore Food[15]

Awards and honors[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Cookstr.com". Cookstr.com. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d "Jasper White, The Bounty of the Ocean". CIA Culinary School. May 20, 2011. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
  3. ^ Favorites Archived October 25, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Retrospective: Lydia Shire and Jasper White
  5. ^ "Top of Mind: Lydia Shire". Boston Magazine. September 23, 2009. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
  6. ^ a b "Simple Seafood | recipes from Jasper White". Food & Wine. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
  7. ^ a b "Featured Chefs of In Julia's Kitchen with Master Chefs". PBS Food. May 18, 2012. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
  8. ^ Apple, R. W. Jr (November 12, 1997). "The Chef Who Got Away". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
  9. ^ a b COURANT, LEE WHITE SPECIAL TO THE (June 14, 2001). "A LA CARTE". courant.com. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
  10. ^ Jasper White’s Summer Shack Partners with Boston Harbor Island Alliance
  11. ^ Eats, Serious. "Boston: Jasper's Pan-Roasted Lobster with Chervil and Chives". www.seriouseats.com. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
  12. ^ Jaden (September 17, 2009). "Summer Shack's Famous Pan Roasted Lobster • Steamy Kitchen Recipes". Steamy Kitchen Recipes. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
  13. ^ Baskin, Kara (May 28, 2019). "Summer Shack, don't ever change". The Boston Globe. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  14. ^ Stoico, Nick (May 11, 2024). "Jasper White, acclaimed New England chef behind Summer Shack, dies". Boston Globe. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  15. ^ Yoder, Glenn (June 29, 2011). "Cooking up a shore thing". Boston.com. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
  16. ^ "Jasper White | James Beard Foundation". www.jamesbeard.org. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
  17. ^ "Cooking with Jasper White | Epicurious.com". Epicurious. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
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