Cause Magazine His first restaurant job was being a server at the restaurant chain Bennigan’s. He began to enjoy working in the restaurant industry and became so passionate about food and the culinary arts he attended culinary school at Le Cordon Bleu in Orlando where he graduated with honors. Jordan then went out in the real world to study with top chefs. “I started seeking out the best restaurants around and got a job in Tampa at a place called Mise en Place. Then I landed an apprenticeship at the French Laundry in Napa for six months. From there I went to The Herbfarm in Woodinville and that's what jumpstarted my education on the process of curing meat. They supported me in taking an educational seminar at Iowa State University which was a blessing.” Afterwards he went to work in leading restaurants in New York, and for a time in Parma, Italy where was able to learn even more about Salumi, charcuterie and cured meats which were becoming his specialties. The name of Jordan’s restaurant Salare means to salt or season. In an interview he explained, “When I was in Italy, we were making coppa and the butcher kept saying, "salare, salare!" Jordan learned from top chefs from all over the world, but he believes his most important teachers were his first. “My grandmother and mother were chefs in my eyes and they really taught me a lot. Cooking with my grandmother was all about learning to cook with heart and soul. No recipes. She was an old-school Southern cook who put her touch on everything she created.” JuneBaby, his latest restaurant features a unique interpretation of Southern Food and its migration from Africa to America: FOOD WITH ROOTS Southern food’s humble beginnings embarked when West Africans were taken from their home and were forced across the middle passage to North America. The term “soul food” originated during American slavery to not only describe a type of cuisine but also a period of time of oppression and overcoming hardships. It is traditionally cooked and eaten by African Americans of the Southern United States and merges influences from West Africa, Western Europe, and North America. As a result, America’s culinary history was built on corn, rice, peas, and the hog; many of the ingredients associated with Southern food. Southern cuisine has always had and continues to have stereotypical connotations. Seen through the eyes of most Americans as inferior, unsophisticated, and unhealthy, Southern food reflects hard times and resourcefulness and is nothing short of beautiful. It is a cuisine to be respected and celebrated. www.junebabyseattle.com salarerestaurant.com
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