"I take the term "hospitality" very seriously. Proper care and preparation of fresh food, interweaved with my passion and integrity for the craft, allows for a superior product that always leaves our guests pleased and satisfied. That is as fulfilling to me as it is to them."
James Burns’culinary roots lay in the meals of his childhood that his mother always prepared with love and care; among his favorite, beef stews, amazing spaghetti and meatballs and Sunday morning pancakes. Sitting around his Irish grandmother’s table, Burns further discovered his passion for cooking as he learned to understand the virtues of honest food- appreciating the distinct flavors of fresh vegetables from her garden and hearty roasts from her kitchen.
He started working in restaurants while attending Iona College in New Rochelle, New York. After graduating in 1983 with a BA in Marketing, he decided to follow his passion for cooking and enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America. While at the CIA, he learned cooking and restaurant business practices and interned for a year at Trumpets Restaurant in the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City.
After graduating from the CIA
in 1986, Burns was hired as a chef at the American Express corporate
dining room—designing menus for some of the nation’s most powerful
men, including James Robinson, Lou Gerstner, Malcolm Forbes, Donald
Trump and Gerald Ford. He made his next step to Arnaud’s in New Orleans,
but returned to New York for the opportunity to work under Executive
Chef George Masraff of Tavern on the Green (Masraff at the time was
America’s highest paid chef, responsible for introducing New Yorkers to “spa
cuisine”). Tavern on the Green was the scene for the New York social
set, and James continued to cook for some of the city’s most glamorous guests-
including Pavrotti and Gotti. He rose to the position of Banquet Sous
Chef, and then was recruited away to the New York Hilton Hotel at Rockefeller
Center to assume the role of Banquet Chef.
Burns moved to Charleston in 1989, yearning to adapt his training and artistry to the culinary products and panache of lowcountry cooking. He continued to enjoy success- spending two years as Executive Chef at Carolina’s Restaurant, and then moving to Anson’s where he worked with a menu that blended French and Thai techniques with local seafood and produce.
In November of 1994, Burns took the largest step of his
career—opening up his own J.Bistro located in
Mount Pleasant. Accumulated
flavor memories from his extensive background with international flair
(Indian, Thai, Japanese, French, Italian, Spanish, Russian, American)
blended with years of training and a creative eye, and the J.Bistro
menu was born. Burns remained loyal to the basic formula of honest
food and square dealings, and his customers remained loyal to him-
twelve years in a row being named “Best Restaurant
in Mount Pleasant” by the Charleston City Paper. In
June of 2006, Burns sold the restaurant to focus his efforts on the
catering portion of his business, and j.b.c. was born.