Hello!
Allow me introduce myself. My name is Jeff White and I am a restaurant professional with nearly 20 years of experience. Growing up in a restaurant household I had a very unique childhood. I was given a firsthand experience working and learning alongside my parents as they transformed a failing restaurant into a wildly successful, local hang out. In the back of house I’ve done everything from wash dishes to run the kitchen. In the front of house I’ve worked every position, starting as a server assistant in fine dining, all the way up to the general manager. I’ve been on the opening management team as the executive chef for a brunch restaurant called Blunch, as well as the bar manager at a two-story craft brewery, kitchen and cocktail lounge called Forbidden Root.
My expertise lies in problem identification and solving, kitchen and bar reorganization, menu curation and training, staff retention, and operational efficiency in both the front and back of house. I will help you create and use the systems needed to operate your restaurant efficiently and effectively.
PROJECTS
On the House Hospitality
Hospitality group based in Tempe, AZ . I consulted for them on and off for over a year and a half time period. I helped them with their restaurants Silver King Smokehouse and Golden Pineapple.
In 2022 I landed a job line cooking at Silver King Smokehouse in the small mining town of Superior, Arizona. They were at a point where they were debating whether or not to continue operations or close their doors. I put together a list of areas of improvement and a plan, approached the owners with an offer, and they decided to give the smokehouse one last shot.
I started immediately. In 60 days, I assisted them building the right team of staff members, created inventory management systems, costing and ordering systems, and training guides, while focusing on back of house cleanliness, pit master training, and menu modifications. I trained their sous-chef to be a head chef, teaching her how to utilize all the systems needed to run and operate a profitable kitchen. I trained her how to be a pit boss, an efficient line cook, and a leader. I assisted in hiring and training the new staff, one of which later went on to be the pit boss and is still running the kitchen to this day.
To this day Silver King Smokehouse continues to thrive, and in 2026 opened their second location, Silver King Lodge.
SILVER KING SMOKEHOUSE
Roughly seven months after I completed my contract with Silver King, I got a phone call from the owners of On the House asking if I would be willing to fly down to Arizona and help with their restaurant in Tempe, Golden Pineapple. A few days later I landed in Phoenix.
I spent an afternoon in the kitchen and identified areas of improvement, sat down with the owners, and agreed to help. This time I was hired to train their new chef on how to run and operate an efficient kitchen. We focused on creating and using proper ordering and inventory systems, hiring and training systems, menu prep management systems, menu creation and modification, build sheets and recipes, waste management, and cleaning systems. I taught the chef and owners how to utilize all the systems so that if anything happened, the owners would have an understanding of how to keep the business operational. I worked on and off with Golden Pineapple for a couple of months in the fall of 2022.
In the spring of 2023, they reached back out. This time, their chef had left, and they needed someone to fill the slot and help them hire the right person for the role. I agreed and went back to Tempe on a full-time, three-month contract.
I reapplied the systems I had previously created, recreated the entire menu, assisted in hiring and training, and I began working one-on-one with their lead line cook to train him to be the chef. This reimplementation immediately garnered great results—we started getting more business and people had faith in the food again; unfortunately, Golden Pineapple was having internal ownership problems beyond the scope of my services. Because of this, Golden Pineapple inevitably ended up having to close, but On the House Hospitality made the necessary changes and has been growing ever since.
GOLDEN PINEAPPLE
I was hired as the opening team’s Bar Manager for their second location in Columbus, Ohio. I assisted in hiring and training the opening bar staff, created all ordering, inventory, cleaning, preparatory, and hiring and training systems for the bar. On a daily basis I would manage the floor and both bars throughout service. I also created the craft cocktail menus and recipes for the opening and each following menu evolution during my time there. When Covid came and lock-down happened, I was part of the idea meetings on how we could stay open and continue operations.
Forbidden Root
I was brought on as the opening Chef for a new brunch restaurant in Clintonville, Ohio. My role was to operate all daily BOH operations, create the opening menu, recipes and build sheets, hire and train the staff, assist in kitchen layout design, and create all ordering, inventory and hiring systems. The menu received local acknowledgment in the paper and magazines.
Blunch
I was hired as a barista right before there was a managerial change. They didn’t have anyone to fill the position, and I was quickly promoted to her position. I became a trained and certified level two specialty coffee Cupper. I assisted in daily operations, seasonal menu curation, hiring and training of staff, all coffee and product ordering, and I hosted cupping trainings for staff and the public. I created an elevated cafe menu to implement at all five locations, and traveled to each location to train the management and staff on how to execute the menu. I created company barista training guides and accompanying videos.
Boston Stoker Coffee Co.
