Jerome Grant facts for kids
Grant in 2018
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| Born | Philippines |
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| Cooking style | American, Native American, African American, Asian American |
| Education | Pennsylvania Culinary Institute |
| Spouse | Sophia Grant |
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Current restaurant(s)
Jackie Restaurant
Mitsitam Cafe (National Museum of the American Indian) Sweet Home Cafe (National Museum of African American History & Culture) |
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Jerome Grant is a famous American chef from Washington, D.C. He is well-known for being the first head chef at the Sweet Home Cafe, which is inside the amazing National Museum of African American History and Culture. He also worked for a long time at the Mitsitam Cafe, located in the National Museum of the American Indian.
Chef Grant's delicious recipes and cooking have been shown in many popular magazines and newspapers. These include The Washington Post, Time Magazine, and The New York Times. He also appeared on TV shows like The Chew and The Today Show.
Contents
Early Life and Cooking Start
Jerome Grant was born in the Philippines. As a child, he lived in many different places across the United States. These places included New York, Oklahoma, and California.
Later, his mother and stepfather moved to Fort Washington, Maryland. Jerome went to high school there and graduated from Oxon Hill High School in 2000. He started cooking when he was very young. His mother taught him the basics of Filipino cooking. During his summers, he visited his grandparents in Philadelphia. He learned about Caribbean flavors from his father's Jamaican family.
Becoming a Chef
Culinary Training
Jerome Grant studied at the Pennsylvania Culinary Institute in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He earned a degree in Culinary Arts in 2002. This training helped him start his professional cooking journey.
First Steps in Cooking
After graduating, Grant moved to Saint Croix. He began his cooking career at the Renaissance St. Croix Carambola Beach Resort and Spa. In 2004, he was named the "Best New Chef in Saint Croix." He was also called the "Young and Most Talented Chef of the Virgin Islands." In 2005, Grant helped open The Mix Lounge in Saint Croix. He was a part-owner and the head chef there.
Working in Washington, D.C.
In 2006, Grant moved back to the United States. He became the executive sous chef at Urbana Restaurant in the Hotel Palomar in Washington, D.C. After two years, he joined the Mitsitam Café. This cafe is inside the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian.
In 2012, the Mitsitam team won a RAMMY award for "Best Casual Restaurant." That same year, Grant represented the USA in a cooking competition in Tasmania, Australia. His team won the Silver Certificate.
In 2013, Grant started a catering business called Details Catering. He cooked for many important people in Washington, D.C. One of his clients was First Lady Michelle Obama.
Leading Museum Kitchens
In 2014, Jerome Grant became the head chef of Mitsitam Café. He and his team changed how museum food was seen. They focused on cooking everything from scratch. They also used whole animals, honoring Native American traditions. Grant introduced unique ingredients like chicken gizzards and frog legs to the museum's menu. He is known for using old cooking methods and ingredients in new, modern dishes.
In 2016, Lonnie Bunch asked Chef Grant to help open the new Sweet Home Cafe. This cafe is inside the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture. Grant became its first head chef.
Books by Chef Grant
In 2018, Jerome Grant helped write a cookbook called Sweet Home Cafe Cookbook: A Celebration of African American Cooking. He wrote it with Lonnie Bunch and Jessica B. Harris. The book shares recipes for the cafe's most popular dishes. It also tells the stories behind each dish, connecting them to the museum's exhibits. The book explores the history of African-American food through recipes and cooking styles from different regions.
Awards and Special Recognition
The Sweet Home Cafe received a nomination for "Best New Restaurant" in 2017. This was from the James Beard Foundation, a very respected food organization. In 2019, Chef Grant himself was nominated for "Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic" by the James Beard Foundation.
Grant also received the 2018 StarChefs Rising Star Award for his work in the D.C. area. He was featured in Washington Life Magazine's 2019 "Young & the Guest List: 40 Under 40." This recognized his great work at the Sweet Home Cafe and in the community.
