Jasper White Biography

Jasper White was born in the state of New Jersey in 1954 and grew up on a farm near the Jersey Shore. His Italian grandma is responsible for his passion for fine cuisine. Jasper started cooking in 1973 and spent several years working and traveling across the United States after graduating from the Culinary Institute of America. Jasper worked in New York, Florida, California, Washington state, and Montana before settling in Boston. He met ambitious chef Lydia Shire in 1979, and the two worked together in the kitchens of some of Boston's most famous hotels, including The Copley Plaza, The Parker House, and The Bostonian Hotel. These three hotels were at the heart of a culinary renaissance in Boston at the time, but it was at the Bostonian Hotel in 1982 that Jasper and Lydia first brought contemporary American food to the city. Jasper's considerable study into the historical and cultural components of New England foodways, along with his more than 30 years of culinary expertise, have earned him a reputation as a knowledgeable authority on New England cuisine, particularly shellfish. Jasper and his graphic designer wife, Nancy, founded Jasper's Restaurant on Boston's historic waterfront in 1983. Both the chef and the restaurant won several accolades and were well covered by locally and nationally media. Jasper ushered in a new generation of creative Boston chef/proprietors, many of whom have gone on to national recognition, by starting his own restaurant. Jasper faced the prospect of operating a fine dining restaurant in the midst of Boston's decade-long Big Dig after 12 years as the city's premier restaurant destination, so he boldly chose to close his restaurant in 1995, and he took the time to write two cookbooks, Lobster At Home (Scribner 1998) and Fifty Chowders (Scribner 1998). (Scribner 2000). Jasper White's Cooking From New England, his debut book, was released in 1989. All three books are still available for purchase and are doing well. The Summer Shack Cookbook, Jasper's most recent book, was published in 2007. When Jasper White launched Jasper White's Summer Shack in Cambridge, Massachusetts in May 2000, he startled many who thought he was indelibly tied to gourmet dining. Summer Shack is a noisy, lively clam shack that accommodates more than 300 people in five different seating sections, while Jasper's Restaurant was quite beautiful and formal. Lobster tanks and steam kettles are the focus of a large, open space in the center. Lobsters, clams, oysters, and a variety of other seafood species dominate a New England menu that includes everything from corn dogs and fried clams to classics like cod cakes and baked beans. The atmosphere has changed, but the material has not. Jasper's goal is to show that great cuisine doesn't have to be haute or sophisticated to be delicious. Summer Shack has become a seafood lovers' Mecca. Summer Shacks have opened in Connecticut's Mohegan Sun Resort and Casino and Boston's Back Bay as a result of the Cambridge restaurant's popularity. Jasper's successful business strategy has been to bring high-quality, authentic New England seafood to casual eateries in high-traffic retail areas. The Summer Shacks has earned rave reviews from the local and national press since its debut, including a James Beard Award nomination for Best New Cuisine in 2001.

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