Jasper White (chef) explained

Jasper White
Birth Date:28 May 1954
Birth Place:Orange, New Jersey, U.S.
Death Place:Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Education:Culinary Institute of America
Spouse:Kathleen
Style:"New England food"
Restaurants:
  • Jasper's (closed)
  • Jasper White's Summer Shack
Awards:
  • James Beard Foundation Award

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

Early life and education

Jasper White was born in Orange, New Jersey on May 28, 1954.[1] 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. 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. Shire considers White to be her mentor,[2] [3] and "her best cook friend in the world."[4] [5]

Restaurants

In 1983, he opened Jasper's, a restaurant on Boston's waterfront. Here, he "carved out a niche in the local food scene deconstructing classics on his haute cuisine menu."[6] 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."[1] Jasper's closed in 1995; White closed the restaurant so he could spend time with his children.[7] For three years afterwards, he was a consultant to Legal Seafoods.[5]

White opened Jasper White's Summer Shack in May 2000 in the Alewife section of Cambridge. The restaurant also has locations at Mohegan Sun[8] and in Boston's Back Bay. There is a seasonal location on Spectacle Island in the Boston Harbor.[9] 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."[6] 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.[10] [11] Summer Shack was sold to the Lyons Group in 2017 and White was no longer involved in the business.[12]

Personal life and death

White and his wife, Kathleen, lived with their children in the Greater Boston area.[1] He died at a hospital in Boston from a ruptured intracranial aneurysm on May 11, 2024, at age 69.[13] [14]

Cookbooks

Awards and honors

References

  1. Web site: Jasper White, The Bounty of the Ocean. May 20, 2011. CIA Culinary School. en-US. April 16, 2019. April 16, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190416095227/https://blog.ciachef.edu/jasper-white-bio/. live.
  2. http://homepages.uwp.edu/crooker/343-hrm/articles/law-age-bg-080206.txt Favorites
  3. Web site: Retrospective: Lydia Shire and Jasper White . November 12, 2014 . October 24, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141024065321/http://stuffboston.com/2012/02/13/retrospective-lydia-shire-and-jasper-white#.VEq5Xoj3aK0 . dead .
  4. Web site: Top of Mind: Lydia Shire. September 23, 2009. Boston Magazine. en-US. April 16, 2019. April 16, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190416095219/https://www.bostonmagazine.com/2009/09/23/top-of-mind-lydia-shire/. live.
  5. Web site: Simple Seafood recipes from Jasper White. Food & Wine. en. April 16, 2019. April 16, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190416095216/https://www.foodandwine.com/articles/simple-seafood-recipes-from-jasper-white. live.
  6. Web site: Featured Chefs of In Julia's Kitchen with Master Chefs. May 18, 2012. PBS Food. en-US. April 16, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20120531213835/http://www.pbs.org/food/features/meet-the-chefs-of-in-julias-kitchen-with-master-chefs/. May 31, 2012.
  7. News: The Chef Who Got Away. Apple. R. W. Jr. November 12, 1997. The New York Times. April 16, 2019. en-US. 0362-4331. December 29, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171229132952/http://www.nytimes.com/1997/11/12/dining/the-chef-who-got-away.html. live.
  8. Web site: A LA CARTE. COURANT. LEE WHITE SPECIAL TO THE. courant.com. June 14, 2001 . en-US. April 16, 2019.
  9. Web site: Jasper White's Summer Shack Partners with Boston Harbor Island Alliance. LGBT Massachusetts . https://web.archive.org/web/20141024071054/http://www.lgbtmassvacation.com/?p=213. October 24, 2014.
  10. Web site: Boston: Jasper's Pan-Roasted Lobster with Chervil and Chives. Eats. Serious. www.seriouseats.com. en. April 16, 2019. April 16, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190416095217/https://www.seriouseats.com/2010/11/jaspers-pan-roasted-lobster-with-chevril-chives-boston-summer-shack.html. live.
  11. Web site: Summer Shack's Famous Pan Roasted Lobster • Steamy Kitchen Recipes. Jaden. September 17, 2009. Steamy Kitchen Recipes. en-US. April 16, 2019. April 16, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190416095231/https://steamykitchen.com/5621-summer-shack-pan-roasted-lobster.html. live.
  12. News: Baskin . Kara . Summer Shack, don't ever change . November 11, 2022 . The Boston Globe . May 28, 2019 . November 11, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221111012803/https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/food-dining/2019/05/28/summer-shack-don-ever-change/x67YVuXXpQ4eVyv3Yf29BL/story.html . live .
  13. Web site: Jasper White, Chef Who Lifted New England Cuisine, Dies at 69. May 16, 2024. Moskin. Julia. The New York Times. May 16, 2024.
  14. News: Stoico . Nick . Jasper White, acclaimed New England chef behind Summer Shack, dies . May 12, 2024 . Boston Globe . May 11, 2024 . May 11, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240511225111/https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/05/11/metro/jasper-white-new-england-chef-dies/ . live .
  15. Web site: Books by Jasper White . Thriftbooks . 14 May 2024.
  16. News: Pioneering Boston chef Jasper White dies at age 69 . Thorn . Bret . Nation's Restaurant News . Informa Connect . May 13, 2024 . 14 May 2024 . May 13, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240513231737/https://www.nrn.com/people/pioneering-boston-chef-jasper-white-dies-age-69 . live .
  17. News: Cooking up a shore thing. Yoder. Glenn. June 29, 2011. Boston.com. April 16, 2019. April 16, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190416095218/http://archive.boston.com/lifestyle/food/articles/2011/06/29/jasper_whites_the_summer_shack_cookbook_aims_to_make_summer_cooking_stress_free/. live.
  18. Web site: Jasper White James Beard Foundation. www.jamesbeard.org. en. April 16, 2019. April 16, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190416095915/https://www.jamesbeard.org/chef/jasper-white. live.
  19. Web site: Cooking with Jasper White Epicurious.com. Epicurious. en. April 16, 2019. April 16, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190416095918/https://www.epicurious.com/archive/chefsexperts/interviews/jasperwhite. live.