Chef Biography

Jay Cotrell

Jay Cotrell comes from a long line of great cooks, but credits his grandmother as being the single greatest influence for sparking his interest in cooking. Jay has always enjoyed working in the restaurant business and has worked in a variety of restaurants since high school. He has almost fifteen years of restaurant experience with five of those years spent directly in the kitchen.

Executive Chef Jay Cotrell graduated from the Columbus State Community College Chef Apprenticeship Program and won several awards in student cooking competitions; including being awarded Apprentice of the Year. He began with Cameron Mitchell Restaurants for the first year of his apprenticeship at Molly Woo’s in 2006. He then transferred to Marcella’s in the Short North for the grand opening in 2007 and worked his way up from Lead Trainer to Sous Chef to his current position as Executive Chef.

Jay would describe his chef personality as being energetic, passionate and spontaneous. He strays away from having a “signature dish” because he prefers to mix things up in the kitchen and try new things as much as possible. His favorite style of cooking is American comfort food like mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and BBQ meat.

When Jay isn’t in the kitchen preparing delectable dishes, he enjoys spending time with his partner, having drinks with friends, and enjoying relaxing nights at home.

His advice to aspiring chefs: “Get involved with chefs who are great at their jobs and do whatever they tell you to do.”