Jay Taylor Named Restaurant Chef for The Wharf at Madison Beach Hotel

The Wharf Restaurant at Madison Beach Hotel is proud to announce Jay Taylor as Restaurant Chef.

A graduate of Johnson & Wales University, Taylor’s passion for cooking began early. He was born on a Pennsylvania farm where his love of garden, land and farm-to-table was cultivated. In his teens, Taylor’s first restaurant jobs included Gourmet Galley in Westbrook and Cloud 9 in Old Saybrook, Connecticut.

His post-graduate culinary background includes positions at Kelley’s Caribbean Bar & Grill in Key West, Florida, Capitol Grill and 4-star rated Salute in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Copper Beech Inn in Ivoryton, Connecticut, where he honed his French cooking skills under Henri Laasakaon and Francois de Melouge. He also served as sous chef at Taino Smokehouse in Meriden, Connecticut, and Café Routier and Waters Edge Resort & Spa in Westbrook, Connecticut.

Taylor is a trained forager of ramps, herbs, mushrooms, beach plum and fiddleheads and learned under the tutelage of the renowned forager Gerry Miller.

“Jay’s impressive culinary talent and menu development skills will further enhance the award-winning dining experience for The Wharf,” says John Mathers, general manager, Madison Beach Hotel, Curio Collection by Hilton.

Taylor resides in Chester, Connecticut. He has a daughter, Vanessa, and a four-legged son named Brutis.