Chef Highlight: Jason Weiner of Almond Restaurant

Almond Restaurant chef and co-owner Jason Weiner began his culinary career in Manhattan at two noted restaurants—Regine and China Grill. After working on the line in these two hot spots for about four years, Weiner headed to the West Coast and joined one of America’s top chefs, Michael Mina, and opened AQUA in San Francisco. In 1996, he was part of the opening team of Charles Nob Hill in San Francisco as chef de cuisine. After the launch, Weiner spent a summer on the East Coast in the kitchen at Nick & Toni’s in East Hampton. In 1998, he rejoined Mina’s group and was part of the opening team for AQUA in the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas. After four years in Vegas, Weiner headed back east to explore the opportunity of opening his own restaurant.

In 2001, that dream became a reality and Weiner opened Almond, a French bistro in Bridgehampton with partner Eric Lemonides. Offering reasonable prices and bold bistro fare, Almond splashed onto the Hamptons restaurant scene with rave reviews. In the fall of 2008, the team expanded their operation to Manhattan opening Almond NYC in Manhattan’s Flat Iron district. Weiner also oversees L&W Market adjacent to Almond in Bridgehampton. L&W Market offers prepared foods straight from Almond’s kitchen, takeout items, dry goods, local produce and Almond’s own product line, #kimchijews. The duo also operates the newly opened Almond Palm Beach in Florida.

Weiner has cooked at the James Beard House several times and has also been the featured chef for Outstanding in the Field, an open-air feast celebrating local farms and products throughout the country, for the past seven years. He has also been a featured chef at a local Hamptons culinary event, The Chefs Dinner, at the Hayground School for the past several years featuring top East End and Manhattan chefs.

Weiner is committed to using locally farmed products and local produce in order to support the local community. In fact, 90% of the restaurant’s produce from June through October came from within a seven-mile radius of the restaurant. The East End restaurant scene is truly blessed to have such a talented chef and locavore in its midst.

To learn more about Almond, visit almondrestaurant.com. And for more on L&W Market, go to landwmarket.com.