Chef Jamie Malone

As part of our retrospective for December's Basket - we are retuning to the Featured Chefs who helped to grow The FareTrade's brand. We are continuing our Chef Feature series with the one who started it all - our first Featured Chef, Jamie Malone.

Before receiving her culinary degree from Le Cordon Bleu, Chef Jamie Malone traveled extensively in Hong Kong, Vietnam and Europe, studying food and immersing herself in the nuances of each region's cuisine. She developed her passion for cooking in high school as an avid listener of NPR's The Splendid Table, which continues to inspire her to this day. She also admires and aspires to emulate renowned Chef Thomas Keller for his organization and commitment to the craft of cooking.

"Sea Change gives patrons well-researched options for sustainable fish that are not on everybody else's top five list," Chef Malone said. “We constantly are working hard to stay on top of the ever changing world of sustainability.”

Chef Malone says she tends to take a very gestalt approach to cooking. She isn’t just thinking about what's going onto the plate, but who will be eating it, and how their entire dining experience will make them feel.

"I like working with my hands every day," enthused Chef Malone. "My short-term goals and my long-term ambitions are really the same: every day when I finish my work, I want to leave behind a dining room that still resonates with happy people."

Jamie Malone was a 2013 semi-finalist for James Beard Foundation Awards Rising Star Award. She was also named a Food and Wine Best New Chef for 2013.