Jeff Drew, Executive Chef
Jeff entered the culinary field at the early age of thirteen as a caterer and was encouraged by his chef to later attend The Culinary Institute of America to broaden his skills. As part of his experience he completed an externship at Harrah's, a five star-five diamond resort in Lake Tahoe, Nevada.
After graduating from the CIA, Jeff joined chef Jimmy Schmidt as part of the opening team to the nationally acclaimed Rattlesnake Club Restaurant in Michigan. He worked for Chef Schmidt for six years in the capacity of Chef de Cuisine. During this time, he assisted in opening four restaurants, with the last one being a Southwestern concept.
Recruited by The Coyote Café to be the Chef de Cuisine in Santa Fe, Jeff's tenure of seven years included responsibility of food product design, development and testing for the Coyote Cocina line of premier Southwestern food products.
The love of the outdoors and a desire to contribute to a thriving restaurant community brought Jeff and his family to Jackson Hole. For over ten years, Jeff's modern American cuisine has found its home in the rustic elegance of the Snake River Grill.
Jeff was one of only eight professional chefs from across the country awarded a scholarship from Beringer Vineyards of Napa Valley to the prestigious School for American Chefs, directed by Madeleine Kamman.
Jeff has been a guest chef in several parts of the country, including The Masters of Food & Wine and The James Beard House. In addition to his cooking classes, he has been featured in various television spots including The Food Channel, CNN and The Disney Channel. His credits have been acknowledged in national publications, such as Esquire magazine, The New York Times, Food Arts and Restaurant & Institutions magazine.
Jeff was nominated for "Best Chef: Northwest" at the 2010 James Beard Awards—the country's most coveted honors for chefs and restaurants.
