wine & culinary arts festival

chefs

Jesse Perez
After graduating from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Chef Jesse accepted a job at Francesca's at La Cantera Resort in San Antonio, Texas. Quickly working up the ranks in the kitchen, he also acquired his Introduction Certificate of Sommeliers from the Guild of Master Sommeliers in 2000. In late 2006, Pano Karatassos of Atlanta's Buckhead Life Restaurant Group invited Chef Jesse to accept the executive chef position at Nava. Apart from acclaim in Atlanta publications, he has also recently been featured in Restaurant and Institutions, Plate, and Restaurant Forum and just recently, Chef Jesse was on a list of Atlanta?s top new chefs in the Atlanta dining scene.