Product. Passion & Salt.

jimmysneed@gmail.com

1993-Present

Owner SugarToad Management LLC

A restaurant consulting firm specializing in improving the culture of the employees, quality of food and service, and generating very positive reviews as well as national press.

2010-Present

Fresca on Addison

Co-Owner (with daughter); featuring an all vegetarian menu consisting of pizzas, ‘burgers’, tacos, sandwiches, salads, and vegan desserts. Named by Food & Wine as the best vegetarian restaurant in Virginia.

1995-2008

Celebrity Chef/Spokesperson Vita-Mix

Hired to promote the Vita-Prep blender, which was introduced as a restaurant quality professional blender.  Came up with an ad campaign called “Famous Chefs Naked with their Blender”.  The campaign ran exclusively in Food Arts magazine for five years and was lauded by the magazine’s founding editor and publisher, Michael Batterberry, as “the greatest ad campaign in the history of foodservice”.  Each of the monthly ads featured one of the nation’s top chefs including Jean-Louis Palladin, Eric Ripert, Daniel Boulud, Nora Pouillon, Michelle Bernstein, Marcus Samuelson, and others, naked except for their strategic placement of their Vita-Prep Blender.

Nov 2006-Aug 2010

Co-Owner: Carena’s Jamaican Grille

Opened in 2007 with partner Carena Ives of Jamaica House restaurant fame.  I sold my interest in order to open Fresca on Addison with my daughter.

Feb 2008-Dec 2010

Opening Executive Chef, F&B Director and Chef/GM of SugarToad at the Hotel Arista, Naperville, Illinois

May 2005-May 2007

Executive Chef at the New Frontier Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas where I oversaw 11 restaurants and helped develop new restaurants for a planned replacement hotel, which did not get built.

October 2004-April 2005

Jimmy Sneed’s at the Country Club.  One of 8 ‘celebrity’ chefs chosen to open a restaurant at the soon-to-open Wynn Las Vegas.

October 2002-August 2004

Tristan, Charleston, SC. Hired as Chef/GM for a two year old restaurant that had gone through several chefs and general managers.  Eight weeks in, named as ‘One of the best new restaurants in America’ by Wine Enthusiast Magazine.

April 1993-April 2001

Chef/Owner, The Frog and the Redneck, Richmond, VA.

Arguably Richmond’s most nationally recognized restaurant earning awards from Esquire Magazine as “One of America’s Best New Restaurants” to AAA four diamonds (this despite its casual feel and straightforward food).

July 1987-January 1993

Windows on Urbanna Creek. 

My first kitchen as Chef, garnering kudos and awards for the use of pristine local ingredients. 

June 1985-June 1987

Sous Chef, Jean-Louis at Watergate. 

Chef Jean-Louis Palladin was considered by most chefs as the greatest chef of our time.  Chef Palladin was at that time the youngest chef in France to ever receive 2 Michelin Stars.

June 1984-May1985

Sous Chef, Mayfair at the Regent Hotel, Washington, DC. 

Chef Gunter Seeger, a Michelin-rated chef who then moved to Atlanta, and I returned to Jean-Louis at Watergate as Sous Chef to Chef Palladin.

June 1981-May 1984

Jean-Louis at Watergate

Line cook

September 1979-May 1981

Four Seasons Hotel, Georgetown, Washington, D.C.

Chef Tournant

In addition I have consulted in several restaurants including independents and chains.

Highlights

Two-time James Beard Award finalist for Best Chef in America, Mid-Atlantic. To date Richmond’s only JBA finalist.

Two PBS cooking shows with Julia Child (In Julia’s Kitchen with Master Chefs).  Invited by Ms. Child to tour with her to give demonstrations at trade shows.

Guest Speaker at the Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, NY.

Guest Instructor at l’Acadamie de Cuisine in Bethesda, MD for over 10 years.

Chef Instructor University of Richmond continuing education program.

Chef Instructor College of William & Mary continuing education program.

Featured chef (twice) at the Masters of Food and Wine in Monterey, CA.  Other chefs included Thomas Keller, Michel Richard, Jacques Pepin, Jean-Louis Palladin, Charlie Trotter, and others.

Featured on the covers of Style Magazine and Restaurant Marketing Magazine.

World Gourmet Summit, Singapore, named as one of 10 “Icons of Gastronomy”

Translator at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris ’73-’74.

Gave a two hour speech to 350 chefs in Las Vegas, standing ovation, 2001.

Featured chef in Great Chefs of the East TV series.

Weekly chef tip WBBT Channel 12 as well as a Culinary Radio program on WRIR.

Frequent contributor to several publications such as:

Food Arts, Richmond Magazine, Coffee and Cuisine, Fine Cooking, Washingtonian Magazine, Boomer Magazine.

Developed recipes for, and wrote the Professional Series Cookbook for the Vita-Mix Professional Series blender.

First chapter of Far Flung and Well Fed features Jimmy and his passion for local product, specifically soft shell crabs.  This was the last book written by the legendary Johnny Apple of the NY Times.

Press Quotes

“One of America’s Finest Chefs.” – John Mariani, regarded as one of the most read food critics.

One of the Best New Restaurants in America – Esquire Magazine (re: The Frog and the Redneck)

One of the Best New Restaurants in America – Wine Enthusiast (re: Tristan, Charleston, SC)

“There are lots of good meals to be had in Charleston but none better than we enjoyed at Tristan. We had a hell of a good time.” – R. W. Apple, Jr., New York Times

“…worth going the hundred miles to Richmond to taste the ‘amazing’ things Jimmy does with regional products.” – Washington, D.C.  Zagat Guide

“the talk of food circles and the destination for countless road trips” – Discovery Channel

“Chef Sneed has discovered the primal flavors of food.” –  Robert Shoffner, Washingtonian Magazine

“Jimmy Sneed serves, in my opinion, the best food of the Jean-Louis Palladin disciples.  He is irreverent and brilliant at the same time.” –  Michael Birchenall, Food Service Monthly

“The most delectable soft-shells anywhere” – New York Times

“He’s so manly!” – Julia Child