Jonathan Insetta Culinary Arts Florida Community College, Institute of the South for Hospitality and Culinary Arts

A Heaping Helping of Success

Jonathan Insetta
Florida Community College, Institute of the South for Hospitality and Culinary Arts

Jon Insetta isn’t exactly sure when he decided to pursue a future in the culinary field. “All I know is that I always loved to cook while I was growing up, and from high school on, I knew I wanted to go into the restaurant business,” he said.

And the restaurant business is where he most definitely is today, having opened the popular Chew Restaurant in downtown Jacksonville in 2006. Jon credits much of his success to his teachers in the culinary program at Florida Community College.

“I really liked the approachability and access to the professors,” he said. “They were all very approachable. If you showed interest, they returned it tenfold. It was really one-on-one help. And their experience at some of the country’s legendary restaurants formed a wealth of knowledge that was very easy to tap into. It was like learning from family.”

As a student, Jon and a few classmates also had the opportunity to take a trip abroad with his teachers. “I went to Ireland and the United Kingdom with some students and teachers. We had an outstanding time visiting some of the most well-known restaurants over there. We really learned a lot.”

After studying at FCCJ, Jon went to the renowned Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, where he built on the foundation of knowledge he gained at FCCJ. But it was here at the College where the dream for Chew was born. Knowing how difficult it can be to find success as a restaurateur, his parents had a few misgivings. “My parents were against it for a while because they knew how tough it was,” he said. “But when they saw I was serious, they really backed me all the way.”

His parents’ confidence was well placed. Chew has won numerous accolades and has gone from serving just lunch to serving dinner as well. As Jon puts it, “We’ve gotten unbelievable media attention, and business has been very good. It took us a while to get Chew up and running, but I’m very proud of the results. A lot of the decisions we made for the restaurant were based on what I learned from my FCCJ teachers.”

As successful as Jon has been, he has even bigger plans. “My goal is to own at least five restaurants by the time I’m 35. I want to form a restaurant company that can achieve the high level of quality we want.” But for now, he’s savoring the sweet taste of success.