Jonathan Waxman facts for kids

Jonathan Waxman is a famous American chef. He helped create a cooking style called California cuisine. This style mixes French cooking with fresh, local ingredients. Jonathan Waxman was the first to bring this exciting way of cooking to New York City.

Who is Jonathan Waxman?

Jonathan Waxman was born in 1950. He grew up near Berkeley, California. After college at the University of Nevada, Reno, he played music in bands. He even played in a rock band called "Lynx."

Jonathan later stopped playing music to study cooking. He went to the La Varenne cooking school in France. In 1979, he and a restaurant owner named Michael McCarty opened Michael's Restaurant. This restaurant was in an old mansion near Santa Monica beach. Their new style of cooking brought people from all over America to eat there.

Five years later, he opened Jams Restaurant in New York. People were very excited to eat at Jams. New York Magazine called him "an elder statesman of the new California cooking." His work at Jams made him a celebrity chef. One person said that if chefs in the 1980s were like rock stars, they were thinking of Jonathan. He also created other restaurants like Bud's, Hulot's, Jams of London, and Table 29. Esquire magazine even put him on its list of most important Americans.

Jonathan Waxman's Restaurants

Today, Jonathan Waxman owns several restaurants. These include Barbuto and Jams in New York City. He also owns Brezza Cucina in Atlanta and Adele's in Nashville. In 2016, he opened Waxman's in San Francisco. New York Magazine describes Barbuto's food as "rustic Italian." This means it's simple, country-style Italian food. The restaurant has a "casually hip" feeling. Jonathan also published a cookbook in 2011.

Jonathan Waxman on TV

Jonathan Waxman has appeared on popular cooking shows. In 2018, he was a guest judge on MasterChef for season nine. He was introduced as a mentor to another famous chef, Aarón Sanchez. He came back as a guest judge for season eleven in 2021.

He has also been a judge on Guy's Grocery Games. This is a fun show where chefs compete in a grocery store.

Top Chef: Masters Competition

In 2010, Jonathan Waxman was a contestant on a TV show called Top Chef: Masters. This show features famous chefs competing against each other. He made it very far in the competition. He finished fourth out of eighteen chefs. One of the main judges, James Oseland, said that Jonathan is "one of the country’s greatest chefs."

Jonathan Waxman's Family Life

Jonathan Waxman lives in Manhattan. He lives there with his wife, Sally, and their three children.