Jay has been working in the culinary field for nearly 20 years. After earning an MFA at Parsons in New York City, he started cooking under the eye of Gabrielle Hamilton at Prune Restaurant. Since then he has worked his way from a prep cook to chef, helming Renee Erickson's beloved Boat Street Cafe and Bar Melusine (Boat Bar). All along the way he has harnessed the bounty the PNW offers and applied the techniques of French cooking, all through the lens of a first-generation immigrant family.

Jay took a "temporary" break from the line and started teaching 10 years ago at the Pantry, where he has taught subjects ranging from regional French cooking (favorite wine region: Beaujolais) to Chinese Takeout (favorite order: Gui Zhou Chicken).