Jerry  Suppa

      My career in the hotel- restaurant industry began 12 years ago.  I took my first job as a busboy in Peppercorns Restaurant in Hicksville.  After working there for several years, I developed a growing interest in cooking, which very soon turned into my life’s passion.  The love I found in cooking would soon lead to a desire to expand my knowledge of the overall fundamentals of operating a kitchen.  This fascination in the restaurant business led me to the California Grille, located in Glen Head, NY, where I took on the responsibility of being the pizza/pantry cook.  This provided the opportunity to become more involved in all aspects of the operation of a kitchen.  I had a much larger role in the food preparation and presentation.  After working there for a year and a half, my taste for the industry continued to grow.  As my knowledge and experience in kitchen operations continued to grow, I was presented an opportunity to returned to Peppercorns, as a head line cook.  While working at Peppercorns over the next year, I gained a great deal of experience in the orchestration of a very busy kitchen.  This allowed me to develop a sense of timing, control, and technique that is essential to operating a smooth kitchen. 

      It was at this point in my life that I realized to achieve my goal of becoming a well-respected chef, I must further my knowledge and education.  In June of 1995, I entered the Culinary Arts program at Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island.  I studied, in-depth, the true techniques and history of various cuisines, as well as the business/management aspect of the food service industry.  I received my Associate in Applied Science Degree in Culinary Arts after completing an advanced standing program in one years time.  My intense interest and motivation led me to graduate Magna Cum Laude on the Dean’s List. 

      Upon my return to New York, I began working at the Garden City Hotel, under Chef John P. Montgomery, a well-known and well-respected chef.  I began at the Polo Grille as a sauté cook, and was soon promoted to the head line cook.  I was responsible for all the daily preparation and cooking for this four star restaurant.  In addition, I worked closely with the purchasing department on the daily requisition of food for the two restaurants located inside the hotel.

      After working under Chef Montgomery for over a year and absorbing all of the knowledge and experience he offered, my mentor announced his departure from the Garden City Hotel to become the Executive Chef at the Westchester Country Club.  He recognized my talent for cooking, as well as my hard work and devotion to the profession, and offered me a position as a Sous Chef at the Westchester Country Club.  I was now responsible for coordinating and executing a menu for a 150-seat restaurant, along with ordering food, creating daily specials, and expediting the kitchen. During my employment at the Westchester Country Club, I entered the International Hotel & Restaurant Show’s “Master Chefs” competition held at the Jacob Javit Center. I placed second in the Pasta Category, receiving a Silver medal and recognition for both the country club and myself.

      A year of experience at the Westchester Country Club led me back to Long Island where I became the Sous Chef, working under Executive Chef Jeffrey Tantillo, at California Café, a corporate restaurant located in Westbury.   Working for a corporation demanded new responsibilities such as recognizing price points and cost percents.  I accepted this challenge with open arms, and proceeded by lowering my food cost at least one point each month, yet at the same time, maintaining the quality and creativity in every dish served.

      After working at California Café for almost one year, I was offered the position as Executive Chef at Peppercorns Restaurant.  I accepted this offer with intentions of redesigning the entire ala carte and catering menu, learning how to create a productive and organized kitchen, as well as enhancing my career with experience.  After achieving my goals at Peppercorns, and introducing the restaurant to a new level of dining, the restaurant benefited by having a lower food cost, higher check averages, and more satisfied customers than ever before.

      My continued desire to expand and further my career led me to Victory Smoke House Oyster Bar, in Garden City, where I was employed as the Chef De Cuisine.  This position presented me with a new challenge of opening a new restaurant from the development stage. I was closely involved with the layout of the kitchen, menu design, catering packages, hiring, training and education of the staff, developing systems and preparation schedules, and establishing food purveyors.  Victory is a 180 seat upscale dining experience in which I was directly responsible for managing all aspects of ala carte dining and catering, the daily smoking of fresh meats and fish, on premise baking, daily specials, and seasonal menu changes.  The restaurant is currently in its third year of operations and running successfully with positive exposure from the New York Times, as well as four enthusiastic reviews from Newsday. I ended my employment in Victory to open my own restaurant, Butterfields, in Hauppauge.

      My experience with Victory allowed me to quickly organize my operations in Butterfields.  Butterfields opened on July 29th, 2002, and has received a great deal of positive feedback from many customers. We have built a very high repeat customer base which is sure to grow.