Jasper White, a renowned chef who elevated the status of New England’s traditional cuisine in the realm of fine dining during the 1980s, and served as a mentor to numerous chefs in the Boston area, passed away on Saturday in Boston. He was 69 years old.
According to his wife, Kathleen White, Jasper’s demise occurred at a hospital due to a brain aneurysm.
Throughout his culinary journey, Jasper White showcased his unwavering dedication to utilizing New England ingredients in his gastronomic creations. This commitment was evident during his tenure at Restaurant Jasper, located in Boston’s North End, which operated from 1983 to 1995. Subsequently, he continued to champion the flavors of New England at his establishment, Jasper White’s Summer Shack, which had three different locations.
All this in the time Stepan Pyles, Dean Fearing, Robert Del Grande and Anne Lindsay Greer were putting Southwest Cuisine on the map with the same ingenuity and passion. These people all changed the way we dine today.
With the passing of this legend Chef Pyles offers these kind words. And Stephan, I still want to make your original tamale tart.
“I just lost a very dear friend and the culinary world has lost a giant. Jasper White and I opened our first restaurants the same year – 1983. Unknowingly, we were both at the forefront of the renaissance of American cooking. What Jasper and his brilliant friend, and iconic chef Lydia Shire, were doing in Boston to elevate and redefine New England cuisine, Dean Fearing and I were doing in Dallas for the cuisine of the Southwest.
For many years, I saw Jasper at least three times a year. We were regulars at The Chef’s Tribute for Citymeals on Wheels in New York hosted by Jonathan Waxman, Larry Forgione, and New York Magazine food critic, Gael Greene at Rockefeller Center. As well, for 20+ years, we were guest chefs at Wolfgang Puck’s Los Angeles Wine and Food Festival on the backlot of Universal Studios. We also consulted for American Airlines for several decades and worked together on many projects there. I remember sharing the shock of the price of first-class tickets when the consultancy ended and we actually had to pay for them.
In 1988, at the 5th anniversary of my first restaurant, Routh Street Café, we had maintained a 5-star rating in the Dallas Morning News since our very first review. Therefore, our theme for the celebration was “5 Years, 5 Stars, 5 Chefs”. I invited 5 Celebrity Chefs of the day to do a dinner on 5 consecutive Mondays. Jasper was one of my chefs and his menu is posted here. He brought the sweet, succulent Nantucket Cape Scallops with him in the cabin of the plane, refusing to check them and risk damage.
Jasper and I were amongst the winners of the first-ever James Beard Awards in 1991 – he for the Northeast and me for the Southwest. The awards ceremony was aboard the M.S. New Yorker, circling the Statue of Liberty, and American author George Plimpton hosted the event. Other winners that year were Wolfgang Puck, Emeril Lagasse, Nancy Silverton, David Bouley, Rick Bayless, and Robert Mondavi. M.F.K. Fisher was given the Lifetime Achievement Award and we were all mesmerized by her grace and acceptance speech.
Renowned journalist Ruth Reichl was also in attendance, and in an article for the Los Angeles Times, she quoted Lydia (nominated in Jasper’s category) saying “ ‘and of course I’m really hoping that Jasper White will win best regional chef in the Northeast. I’m his biggest fan.’ Jasper White did win in the Northeast–and he thanked Lydia Shire.”
Ruth also said “It is safe to say that no awards banquet anywhere has ever had such wonderful food. Representing all parts of the country, the combined offerings created a sort of sophisticated smorgasbord of American food that ranged from Stephan Pyles’ dried corn-habanero tart filled with crabmeat and black beans to Emeril Lagasse’s Louisiana crawfish etouffee to Bradley Ogden’s homey salt cod stew with polenta”.
She then went on to say, “If the M.S. New Yorker, on which the ceremonies were held, had sunk, it would have taken American cooking along with it. Standing on the decks of the ship was the largest gathering of American chefs, restaurateurs, winemakers, and cookbook authors ever assembled in one place.” More than anyone else that evening, I remember Jasper, and still relish our delight in seeing each other win our respective awards. Once back on ground, we celebrated late into the New York evening.
In October of 2022, Jasper and Lydia hosted Paula Lambert and me (see image) at one of the brilliant restaurants he created, Summer Shack, in Boston. Paula and I were leading a group on a New England cruise to see the stunning fall colors of the region. We were treated to a feast of steamed lobsters, fried clams, oysters on the half shell, and all the ‘fixings” from a traditional New England Clam Bake. I hadn’t seen Jasper in about 5 years until that day, and upon our departure, Paula said, “that may be the last time we ever see Jasper and Lydia”. She was right, at least about Jasper, and I will cherish my time that day with him for the rest of my life. Through hours of conversation, we brought back the 80s, the 90s and the 2000s. We were both in restaurant “operations” for 37 years. When I asked him if he missed the business, he said “I miss the first 36 years”. I immediately got what he was saying and was in full agreement with his assessment. You know exactly when it is time to get out of the game, and in that last year, for each of us, it became painfully obvious.
Thank you, dear Jasper, for your devoted friendship of 41 years, and for serving me, time after time, the best lobster chowder and fried clams ever prepared. Your half-page obituary in the New York Times this Sunday speaks volumes about your countless achievements. I can speak personally to the deep love and respect you earned from an industry that could never repay you for your countless, glorious contributions. You helped redefine American Cuisine forever. You will be missed – terribly.”
Stephan Pyles words used with permission.
