BOSTON — Thirteen years ago, Jason Santos was assembling dishes under celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay’s hawkish - and sometimes furious- gaze on the reality cooking show “Hell’s Kitchen.” Today, Santos is the one overseeing the construction of dishes at five Boston-based restaurants.
The Massachusetts native and Hell’s Kitchen Season 7 runner-up told Boston 25 News reporter Kerry Kavanaugh that he has always wanted to be a chef.
“I can’t remember ever wanting to do anything else,” said Santos. “I joked that I came out of the womb making aoli.”
Despite his success, Santos says he has no intention of ever leaving Boston for the brighter and more glamorous lights of New York or Los Angeles.
“I’m born and raised here. My heart’s here, my family’s here. My friends are here, my restaurants are here,” Santos told Boston 25. “There’s actually no reason for me to leave.”
Santos’ favorite restaurant is his first, Buttermilk & Burbon on Commonwealth Ave. He credits the establishment’s success with spurring his career and brand. A leap that has taken him from reality show contestant to reality show celebrity. Santos has served as the Blue Team’s Sous Chef on the last two seasons of the show.
“I tell people, if you’re going to be on a reality show and have this persona, at some point, you’re going to have to back it up. And hopefully, with four restaurants in a career my whole life and food, I can back it up,” said Santos.
Santos fell in love with New Orleans’ Cajun-style dishes at a young age and the southern influence is felt at many of Santos’ restaurants. But his new cookbook “Simple Fancy” pulls from a simpler, but no less delicious, part of his cooking history. The cookbook aims to share his family’s recipes, like his mother-in-law’s egg rolls and his nana’s apple pie, in order to help people make the most out of a kitchen that isn’t stocked with fancy ingredients.
“People are spending a lot of time at home and I want to educate them a little bit and have them, you know, inspire their creativity and just make some really good, simple, fancy food,” said Santos.
Santos’ home kitchen may be a bit messier than it used to be. Santos and his wife Thuy recently welcomed their newborn baby Teegan into the family. While he acknowledges the challenges of running five kitchens and a growing household, Santos is able to separate his culinary life and his familial life.
“I force the balance. You know, I have to put family first. Restaurants are there, but I have a great team in place. So I get to work when I need to work and I get to be home when I need to be home. So, so far, so good”
Santos’ fifth restaurant, Butterbird in Watertown Arsenal Yard is set to open this Spring. The new opening will be a casual takeout place. After that, he says he may just enjoy the ride for a while.
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