Meet Chef Jeremy Hammond-Chambers

I like to describe Jeremy Hammond-Chambers as an incredibly nice person and friend with an over abundance of culinary talent. With a resume that reads like a master chef, Jeremy’s passion for international cuisine rivals the likes of Mario Batali and Douglas Rodriguez. Those two chefs were both influential chefs in Jeremy’s career after graduating from the Cordon Bleu Culinary School in London.

Chef Hammond-Chambers, a native of Edinburgh, Scotland, had a clear understanding of how to gather the best culinary experience, with quite possibly the best known chefs in the world.

His first job out of school Hammond-Chambers worked at the Sugar Club with world-renowned New Zealand chef Peter Gordon. Then while practicing his cooking talents as Executive Sous Chef at the award winning Dakota, he discovered his love of Modern American cuisine, which prompted his move to the USA. 

Arriving in New York at the beginning of 1999, he spent the next five years working with internationally-recognized chefs Douglas Rodriguez (Patria), Mario Batali (Babbo) and Daniel Boulud (Daniel, DB Bistro). 

In addition to his culinary background, Hammond-Chamber's passion for ethnic food, his travel has taken him all over the world. The extensive knowledge gathered on his travels lent itself well to his final three years in the city, where he was the Chef de Cuisine at Public, a James Beard award-winning New York restaurant known for its innovative fusion cuisine.

Having happily found a home with his wife Jules in sunny Sarasota, he now runs an exclusive boutique-style catering business, “Innovative Dining LLC.” which also hosts monthly wine dinners and cooking classes. To hire Chef Hammond-Chambers for a dinner party is like having the best A-lister party in the world—each dish worthy of a red carpet appearance and his grace, charm and creativeness will leave your own kitchen begging for an encore performance.

Patch sat down with Hammond-Chambers: 

Patch: What was the most peculiar foods you found in American when you moved here? 

Chef Hammond-Chambers: Picoroco, which is a Giant Barnacle from the cold waters of the Pacific. We used it a lot at Patria where I was a sous chef in NYC back in the late 90’s. If you steam it and break it open, it has two types of protein inside. One like a sweet crab and the other like custard.

Patch: If not a chef, what would your profession likely be? 

Chef Hammond-Chambers: Marine Biologist

Patch: What is the most requested dish you make? 

Chef Hammond-Chambers: Indian Curries

Patch: What Seasonings do you carry with you? W

Chef Hammond-Chambers: Malden Sea Salt. It’s always in my pocket!

Patch: You have a passion for gastro pub cooking, why is that?

Chef Hammond-Chambers: It’s a unique style of restaurant that has no global restrictions. A truly modern bistro where you can serve anything from an Thai Curry to a Burger to a Moroccan Tagine.

Patch: What chefs do you most admire and why? 

Chef Hammond-Chambers: Although I’ve worked with some of the greats like Daniel Boloud and Mario Batali, I have truly learned the most from the chefs I’ve come up through the ranks with. A true example of this would be a young Australian named Chris Rendell, who is now the Executive Chef of the Highlands Restaurant Group in New York. You would be hard-pressed to find any chef out there who has the creativity and precision that Chris has. His knowledge is second-to-none!

Patch: What is your sinful treat? 

Chef Hammond-Chambers: Sticky Toffee Pudding… and lots of it!!