Jason Bray was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. He has over thirteen years of restaurant experience. His love of cooking started when his mother included him in the family preparations when he was a mere five years old.

Jason reminisces, “She showed me the stove and I learned the basics under her tutelage.” He honed these skills even further when he started cooking professionally in the kitchen when he was fifteen. He has fond memories of his first job which he quotes “…was a hole in the wall where they gave me a shot at cooking.”

He quickly moved up the ranks and by age twenty-one was the youngest Sous Chef in the Il Fornaio Corporation. Working in different restaurants throughout Portland, he finally made his way up to Seattle in 2000 where he worked again for the Il Fornaio as a Senior Sous Chef. He also opened the Hi-Life as Head Chef for Chow Foods.

Jason still found time to pursue his passion for wine. He quickly earned his certification as a Sommelier through the International Sommeliers Guild and then passed the first level of Master Sommelier’s certification. “I really love wine, but my heart is in the kitchen. Pursuing both wine and cooking has helped me hone my culinary skills.”

Jason is now the Executive Chef at Ivar’s Salmon House. He has settled in Ballard. Although he has traveled all over the world, the Pacific Northwest is home for him. “I’ve been extremely lucky; I’ve traveled through Burgundy, the Rhone and many countries. I’ve even cooked in a kitchen in India. I truly love the Pacific Northwest and the culinary aspects it has to offer.”