1996 Graduate, Associate of Science in Culinary Arts, The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale
“Everything.” That’s how Jamie Bissonette describes his job responsibilities as the chef and owner of Toro and Coppa in Boston, Massachusetts. Jamie spends his long days prepping, cooking, talking with guests, and handling the business of running a restaurant. And his determination has certainly paid off. Jamie was selected at Food & Wine Magazine’s first ever “People Choice Best New Chef” of 2011. He says that getting praise and support from “fellow restaurant people, chefs and regulars, is wicked rad.”
Praise for his creations is nothing new. Jamie was named “Rising Star Chef” in 2007 by The Improper Bostonian. He’s also been featured in The Boston Globe, Wall Street Journal, Bon Appetit, and Edible Boston. Jamie is inspired by travel and tasting different foods—he’s cooked and sampled his way through Paris, San Francisco, New York, and Phoenix—and he admires chefs who have creative approaches to flavor and use foods of all cultures. Jamie, who in 1996 earned an Associate of Science in Culinary Arts from The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, asserts that his education prepared him to be challenged by chefs and restaurant owners. ”It was a great place for me to get my introduction to the culinary world.”
As restaurant goers’ tastes evolve, Jamie believes that modern cuisine techniques will be “going to the way side, and traditional practices coming back.” And he plans to be at the forefront of preparing foods that keep people coming back for more. “Opening a restaurant is rewarding, but doing it for myself was unbelievable.”