ABOUT ME

Hi, I'm Jamie.

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Most people know me as Chef Jamie from Johnny D's Waffles & Benedicts, but long before I was a chef, restaurant owner, speaker, or cookbook author, I was simply a kid growing up in diners.

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Food has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. I grew up surrounded by breakfast rushes, coffee cups being refilled, regulars sitting in the same seats week after week, and the kind of hospitality that makes people feel at home. Some of my earliest memories were spent sitting at diner counters, watching cooks work the grill and servers somehow remember exactly how everyone liked their eggs.

 

Looking back, I didn't realize it at the time, but those experiences were shaping the way I would see food, hospitality, and people for the rest of my life.

 

Over the years, that foundation led me to culinary school, a career in hospitality, and eventually building Johnny D's alongside my father. What started as a passion for food grew into something much bigger, a passion for connection, community, creativity, and making people feel welcome.

 

Today, I wear a lot of hats.

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I'm a chef, restaurateur, speaker, cookbook author, entrepreneur, and lifelong student of hospitality. I'm also someone who believes that some of life's most valuable lessons happen outside of the kitchen.

 

Through travel, wellness, entrepreneurship, parenthood, success, failure, and everything in between, I've learned that food is often just the beginning of the conversation.

 

That's really what MyrtleBeachChef.com is about.

 

While food will always be part of my story, this website is where I share the stories that don't always fit on a menu. The lessons from culinary school. The memories of growing up in diners. The people who shaped me. The places I've traveled. The things I've learned about leadership, wellness, hospitality, business, and life.

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Some stories may make you hungry.

 

Some may make you think.

 

A few may even make you laugh.

 

No matter how you found your way here, I'm glad you did.

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Welcome to my corner of the internet.

 

- Jamie