SDUT “10 YEARS IN, J&I HAS A NEW CHEF”
Last March, Juniper & Ivy restaurant in Little Italy quietly marked its 10th anniversary, a milestone that only 34.6% of restaurants in the U.S. ever reach, according to a 2024 survival rate study by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Over the past decade, the Michelin-recommended “Left Coast cookery” adapted to survive the COVID-19 pandemic and its cuisine has gradually evolved under the leadership of culinary director Jon Sloan and two past executive chefs, Richard Blais and Anthony Wells.
On Nov. 1, a new executive chef, Jonathan Kinsella, took over of the restaurant’s kitchen. But Juniper owner Mike Rosen said diners shouldn’t expect a tremendous amount of change. The restaurant’s culinary ethos — an unwavering commitment to local ingredients prepared and served in playful and creative ways — isn’t going anywhere. “That’s our flag in the sand,” Rosen said.
Kinsella grew up in Ohio, the son of Irish-born certified U.S. master chef John Kinsella, who founded the Midwest Culinary Institute at Cincinnati State University and taught there for three decades until his death last year.
Determined to follow in his dad’s footsteps, Kinsella started his cooking career at 22 by wetting his feet at a French restaurant in Seattle. Then, while earning his culinary degree from the Midwest Culinary Institute, he worked at another French restaurant in Cincinnati whose chef was Bertrand Bouquin, who was the executive sous chef of Daniel in New York City.