Chef de Cuisine
Jamonera
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Lindsay McLain (Walsh) is the chef de cuisine at Jamonera in Philadelphia, one of Philadelphia Magazine's top 50 restaurants in 2013 and 2014 and 2016. She graduated from the IUP Academy of Culinary Arts in 2007 and earned her Hospitality Management degree from IUP in 2009.
McClain completed her externship semester at Emeril's New Orleans Fish House, inside the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
She credits IUP faculty member Chef Fitting for preparing her for the position at Emeril's by making sure that she was actively involved in every aspect of her Fish and Shellfish class at IUP.
After completing her externship at Emerill's, McClain returned to IUP to pursue a bachelor's degree in Hospitality Management. She graduated in 2009 and returned to Las Vegas to work with some of the same chefs she met on while on her externship.
McClain held positions in Las Vegas at Milos, a Mediterranean-inspired restaurant inside the Cosmopolitan, and at another of Emeril's restaurants, Table Ten, inside the Venitian Hotel and Casino.
Returning to the Philadelphia area in 2011, she started working at a restaurant for Marcie Turney and Valerie Safran, two prominent business owners in Center City Philadelphia. McClain was working for the owners when the team opened up Jamonera in 2012 , and she has since been promoted to chef de cuisine, her current position.
McClain is also a winner on season 20 of the Food Network's Chopped! She competed against three other professional chefs on the episode "Swai Not?" which aired for the first time in June 2014. The judges commented on how great she utilized her technical skills to plate beautiful dishes.
Chef McClain's advice to aspiring culinary arts students is to put in the work during school, but more importantly, show your chef that you want to do the work. Your chef instructors will notice that you are interested and this will inspire your chefs to share their passion and knowledge with you. Finally, when your chef asks you to stay late, do it! There is a reason they want you to be the one to stay late.