James Beard Award winner
Jeffrey Lizotte
- Discipline
- James Beard Award winner
i. Biography
Cornell School of Hotel Administration gave Jeffrey Lizotte the formal structure, but Connecticut supplied the working conditions that shaped his kitchen style: smoke, butter, and a disciplined read on the season. A Simsbury native and Connecticut native, he brought refined French technique back to familiar ground and built a career that moved from Hartford kitchens to a room of his own in Tariffville.
Coming Up
At Cornell School of Hotel Administration, Jeffrey Lizotte learned the shared grammar of hospitality and kitchen discipline. He then pressed that foundation against French practice, staging first at La Tupina in Bordeaux, France, and then at La Bastide St. Antoine in Grasse, France. Those rooms sharpened his approach: process mattered, restraint mattered, and ingredients were strongest when handled with clarity. Back in the United States, Jeffrey Lizotte led the kitchen at ON20 in Hartford, Connecticut, where he served as Head Chef from 2009–2012 and then as Executive Chef from 2012. There, the cooking was exacting and seasonal, built for a dining room that could read precision without confusing it for severity. Today, Jeffrey is director of The Foundry and chef and owner of Present Company.
Where They Are Now
As of 2025, Jeffrey is director at The Foundry in Hartford, Connecticut, while also working at Present Company in Tariffville, Simsbury, Connecticut. The work follows the same line as the training: French technique filtered through Connecticut produce, with attention paid to timing, flavor, and when to stop. The result is innovative American seasonal cooking that stays grounded. A line he has shared about cooking at home points to the same instincts that shape the rest of his work: “Pasta Carbonara – everyone likes a good pasta dish. It is simple and one of my favorites.” The draw is in the plainness of it, where heat, timing, and restraint do the work.
In Their Words “Pasta Carbonara – everyone likes a good pasta dish. It is simple and one of my favorites.”
Career - Director — The Foundry, Hartford, Connecticut - Chef and Owner — Present Company, Tariffville, Connecticut - Stage — La Tupina, Bordeaux, France - Stage — La Bastide St. Antoine, Grasse, France - Head Chef — ON20, Hartford, Connecticut (2009–2012) - Executive Chef — ON20, Hartford, Connecticut (from 2012) Education: Cornell School of Hotel Administration
Honors
Jeffrey’s honors include Silver medal, Bocuse d'Or USA and Valrhona Best Pastry, Trophee Passion.
FAQ Where did Jeffrey Lizotte train or study? Jeffrey Lizotte trained at Cornell School of Hotel Administration. What recognition has Jeffrey Lizotte received? Silver medal, Bocuse d'Or USA (2012).
