While faculty and students enjoyed their summer vacations, Marymount’s new executive chef, Jason Moore, was cooking up exciting new things for the new school year.
Originally from the DMV region, Moore studied with Chef Greg Bibb, Marymount’s Assistant Vice President for Culinary and Retail Operations, at the International Culinary School of the Art Institute of Washington.
“When we were there, Chef Greg and I entered one of those TV-style cooking shows together and ended up winning,” Moore recalled. “He really brought my cooking up to the next level.”
After finishing culinary school, Moore moved to California and worked in a variety of fine-dining restaurants and as the Executive Chef at Wired Magazine’s San Francisco headquarters. While in the Bay Area, he became an expert in California fusion food, which focuses on mixing culinary influences and fresh ingredients to create fun and flavorful dishes.
He plans to bring some of these “Cali style” dishes to Marymount, starting with a revamp of the Bernie’s menu. It now features over six different styles of wings, including Jamaican-inspired jerk chicken wings, Korean BBQ wings and new Old Bay-flavored wings as an ode to the DMV. New hot and crispy chicken sandwiches and turkey burgers were also part of the menu upgrade. Moore hopes that by diversifying the menu to include food for every palette, Bernie’s will become a campus staple for “fast and flavorful food.”
He’s also aiming to bring some healthy California staples to campus as Lola’s Café prepares to reopen in the new Reinsch Pierce Family Campus Hub.
“I want to make Lola’s a go-to spot for healthy breakfast and lunch options. Things like avocado toast and smoothies with an emphasis on fresh farm-to-table ingredients.”
Moore said he also wants to cut down on the amount of meal delivery orders that are placed on campus.
“No more DoorDash!” Moore explained. “We’re bringing people back to campus to dine. We’re creating dining experiences that students will want to share with friends and family.”
Beyond bringing new and exciting food to campus, Moore hopes to build a legacy as part of the Marymount community.
“My goal is to become a better chef than I was before, and leave Marymount dining better than I found it.”
