Renowned Boston chef Jasper White dies
Renowned chef Jasper White, who helped make Boston a culinary destination has died, his friend and fellow chef Lydia Shire said Sunday.
White was named the best chef in the Northeast Region in 1991 while running his namesake restaurant ‘Jasper’s’ in Boston, according to the Globe. He won acclaim for mixing cultural cuisines.
“Before opening Restaurant Jasper in autumn 1983, Mr. White made the rounds of banks and lenders to secure financing. Then he renovated a space on Commercial Street in the North End,’ The Globe writes. “With room for some 75 patrons, Jasper’s became so popular so quickly that weekends were soon booked a month in advance.”
Shire said the following on the death of her friend and partner:
“Around 1982 I first met Jasper. We worked together at The Biltmore Plaza in Providence. We immediately became best friends and continued to work together at The Copley Plaza, The Parker House Hotel, then The Bostonian Hotel. Jasper is the absolute smartest man and kindest man I have ever known. I often asked him for advice; there would be a pause, and then what he would say was to the point and totally brilliant... something I would not be able to do. Reading Jasper’s books is just that: real life, it’s like having a conversation with him. I cannot come to grips why someone so healthy and vital – now working to haul in oysters in the early morning hours for fun, three days a week during the season – is swept away from us. It’s very unfair. I love him dearly and will miss him forever.”
-Lydia Shire, Chef & Owner of Scampo at The Liberty Hotel
Boston magazine anointed Jasper’s as Boston’s best seafood restaurant in 1993.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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