Today we’d like to introduce you to James McElwain.
Hi James, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself
How I got to where I am today is a rather unique story. Unlike most chefs, I did not grow up helping my mother or grandmother prepare meals for the family or working in a family restaurant. Homesickness was initially what spurred me on to start experimenting in the kitchen and later working as a health coach forced me to learn how to design menus and learn more about food.
After graduating college from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), I was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army and was shipped off to Germany. While stationed in Germany I traveled and ate my way throughout Europe. It was odd to me how a lot of the foods of the countries I visited were reminiscent of the foods I grew up on. Each trip made me miss the flavors of home and my mother’s cooking more and more, so I started trying to recreate my mother’s dishes and the foods I was raised with.
I was born in San Diego, California, and had the unique experience of being raised in Mexico. I spent my formative years between the mountain valley of San Quintin and the streets of Tijuana in Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula. My palate was developed with foods as varied as tacos from street vendors of Tijuana to rustic seafood from the sleepy coastal seaport villages of Rosarito Beach, Ensenada, Puerto Nuevo, and beyond. My cooking style is heavily influenced by Baja California regional cuisine and is the focal point of my modern Mexican dishes.
I spent over a decade overseas traveling throughout Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Asia sampling, learning, and fusing the flavors of home with those abroad. While living in Hawaii, I was inspired by the vibrant flavors of the region and formalized my culinary education at the Gros Bonnet Culinary Academy in Honolulu, HI.
While in Hawaii, I completed my apprenticeship working with Japan’s well-renowned Watabe Wedding Corporation. Once I finished with my apprenticeship, I went on to complete my patisserie training at the Art Institute of Washington, DC. In DC, I started to develop my signature cuisine, showcasing the flavors of Mexico in a modern way while fusing those flavors with various world gastronomies.
I enjoyed working in restaurants; however, I found prepping and cooking the same menu items day in and day out was not what I wanted to do. I branched out from the restaurant scene and started a personal chef company shortly after I completed my formal culinary education. As a personal chef, I have developed my signature cuisine, showcasing the flavors of Mexico in a modern way while fusing those flavors with various world gastronomies. As an independent chef, I have far more autonomy and the opportunity to be creative with the dishes and menus I create.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There have been challenges along the way, for sure. My family is a military family; I am a veteran, and my wife is an active-duty Army officer currently stationed at Shaw Air Force Base, SC. The military has our family moving, on average, every two years. Moving as often as we do, it is challenging to get my business reestablished and find new clients at each new location.
However, I am thankful for the opportunities moving so often has provided to my culinary journey. Moving has allowed me to fully immerse myself in the culture of each new city or country we have lived in. This move is my first time in South Carolina, and I’m currently learning more about South Carolina’s Gullah history and vibrant cuisine.
I plan to incorporate aspects of South Carolina’s Low Country and Gullah cuisine into some of my cooking as it pairs well with the coastal flavors of Baja California.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a personal chef. I am known for bringing a unique restaurant experience to your home in the form of multi-course dinner parties or more intimate dinner-for-two experiences. One of my more popular services is meal prepping for busy families; I take care of the shopping, cooking, and cleaning up. Clients come home to a spotless kitchen and a fridge stocked with delicious home-cooked meals that can be easily reheated in the oven or microwave.
What I am proudest of is supporting the veteran community. I am a military veteran and support the veteran community whenever possible. As a veteran, I have served as a culinary mentor to veterans transitioning into the field of Culinary Arts at La Cocina VA, a non-profit organization in Washington, DC that provides bilingual (English/Spanish) culinary training programs that prepare low-income individuals for meaningful careers in the food industry.
Other notable accomplishments include participating in kitchen take-overs and designing specialty menu items for such places as the Pinwheel Garden Restaurant in New Jersey and Twin Oast Brewing Company in Ohio. In 2017, I was fortunate enough to support fellow Mexican Chef Adrian Cruz during an elite event at the famous James Beard House in New York City.
My journey in the culinary field didn’t start in a restaurant. My background is in health and fitness. After transitioning out of the military I attended graduate school at the University of Central Missouri where I earned a master’s degree in Physical Education & Exercise Science and pursued a career as a health and fitness coach. It was in researching foods for clients looking to manage their weight that cemented my passion for food and cooking.
Currently, I am completing a program in Culinary Medicine through Harvard Medical School to further augment my understanding of healthy foods, health education, and lifestyle coaching and incorporate what I learn into my cooking. I believe what sets me apart from others is my approach to food as medicine for a healthier life, my firsthand experiences of different world cuisines, and my knowledge of food science to transform otherwise unhealthy dishes into healthy, nutritious, and delicious restaurant quality meals.
What makes you happy?
A life of service is what makes me happy. Community service, volunteer work, teaching, coaching, and mentoring are some of the many things that bring me joy in life. Service to others is a guiding principle of my family, and we strive to support others whenever possible.
I am fortunate to have the opportunity to use my craft to help my community and pay it forward by educating and broadening people’s understanding of food.
Contact Info:
- Email: james@chefjamesm.com
- Website: www.chefjamesm.com
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/chefjames_m
- Facebook: http://facebook.com/chefjamesm
- Twitter: http://twitter.com/chefjamesm
- Youtube: http://youtube.com/chefjamesm
