About Chef Jonathon Sawyer
“Jonathon Sawyer has no indoor voice. He speaks as loudly as he lives, and he lives like every day is his last. He’s obsessed with ingredients; ingredients he’s cooking now, ingredients he can’t wait to cook with tomorrow at his Greenhouse Tavern in Cleveland.” – Restaurant Hospitality Magazine
Chef Jonathon Sawyer, a Cleveland native, first learned to cook at the age of 13. After attending the University of Dayton and graduating from the Pennsylvania Institute of Culinary Arts, Sawyer went on to work at The Biltmore Hotel in Miami. One year later, he was working alongside renowned Chef Charlie Palmer in New York at Kitchen 22.
Following his work with Charlie Palmer, Sawyer moved back to his hometown of Cleveland to open Michael Symon’s Lolita as Chef de Cuisine. This relationship opened many doors for Sawyer, and eventually led him back to New York City to open Parea, another venture of Michael Symon’s. As Executive Chef at Parea, Sawyer built upon his culinary repertoire. After receiving a two star review from The New York Times and a five star review from Time Out New York for his work at Parea, Sawyer decided to move back to his hometown to pursue his dream of opening his own restaurant.
In 2007 Chef Sawyer became the Chef/Partner of Bar Cento, a modern Roman enoteca in Ohio City. His work received many accolades including Restaurant Hospitality & GAYOT’s Rising Star Chef and Northern Ohio Live’s Best New Restaurant. Sawyer left Bar Cento in 2008 to pursue the opening of his restaurant, The Greenhouse Tavern.
Chef Sawyer’s commitment to the use of local ingredients, sustainable food, environmentally conscious building materials, and the eco movement has inspired him to open The Greenhouse Tavern located in the East Fourth Entertainment District of downtown Cleveland. Sawyer also collaborated with the Green Restaurant Association to become the first certified green restaurant in the state of Ohio. The Greenhouse Tavern offers French inspired dishes using local and sustainable ingredients all created with the belief that the proximity of farm and soil directly correlate to its quality.
The Greenhouse Tavern was recently named one of the top ten best new restaurants in the US by Bon Appetit magazine as well as Best New Restaurant by Cleveland Magazine. Chef Sawyer was also honored this year as one of Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs.
When outside the kitchen, Sawyer enjoys walking his two dogs, spending time with his wife, Amelia, & foraging with his son, Catcher and daughter Louisiana. Chef Sawyer is also heavily involved in the cooking community both locally and nationally. He has appeared on The Food Network’s Dinner Impossible and Iron Chef America. His local culinary involvement includes organizations such as Slow Foods, the Countryside Conservancy, The Cuyahoga Valley National Park Association, and the Green Building Coalition. Chef Sawyer is an avid activist for the green movement as well as a major supporter of local agriculture and farmers.
Contact Information
- Website: www.thegreenhousetavern.com
- Email: jonathon.sawyer@thegreenhousetavern.com
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/thegreenhouse
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thegreenhousetavern
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