Jerome Picca, Co-owner, Small Plates Restaurant, Tapas, and Wine Bar

Jerome Picca is an accomplished Chef, teacher, and culinary mentor and with his wife Stephanie owns Small Plates Restaurant, Tapas, and Wine Bar in Cambridge, MA. Chef Picca was born in Sri-Lanka and raised in London. He immigrated to the United States at the age of ten and started his culinary career at the age of fifteen as a dishwasher and busboy at a local restaurant. Within a year he had proven himself as a hard and loyal worker and was given the opportunity to do prep work in the kitchen. After working with other culinary professionals he decided on career as a chef. He was accepted as an apprentice at a hotel where he worked all the kitchen stations as a Rounds Cook. After completing his apprenticeship he entered the Culinary Institute of America where he received high marks for his dedication to learning, volunteering to be the class team leader from day one to graduation, taking extra curricular courses in ice carving and Garde Manger, and winning a third place medal in the first annual CIA Culinary Arts Salon.   Upon graduation Jerome moved to New Orleans to learn more about food & cooking. He eventually became the Sous Chef for Susan Spicer and continued working and learning from her until moving to Washington D.C. to become the youngest instructor ever hired t The Culinary School of Washington. His work as a Chef Instructor included teaching classes in The Professional Chef Program, building The Professional Catering Program, and developing a culinary program for the University of Maryland Center for Continuing Education.   Jerome has made New England his home since leaving Washington D.C. and has enjoyed many memorable experiences in his career including starting a business called The Seasoned Chef. After 11 years Chef Picca sold the business and and went on to work as  the Executive Chef for Sebastian’s Catering at The World Trade Center in Boston, Regional Chef Manager for Rita’s Catering, General Manager for Blackstone Caterers in Newport, RI. Chef Picca opened Small Plates Restaurant, Tapas, & Wine Bar in Harvard Square in 2007 before selling the restaurant and taking his current Chef position at Harvard University.    Jerome has been written up in The Boston Globe, The Boston Herald, Yankee Magazine, Where Magazine, The Improper Bostonian, The Philadelphia Enquirer, The Providence Journal, The Harvard Crimson, and many smaller, local publications. Jerome has also been featured on New England Cable News, Chronicle, and The Food Network, and has had the good fortune of cooking for celebrities such as The crew of Saturday Night Live, Paris Hilton, Clint Eastwood, Steve Martin, Madonna, Art Garfunkel, Aretha Franklin, The Allman Brothers, Dan Rather and family, Carly Simons’ family, and the late Ted Kennedy.  Although cooking for the rich and famous is exciting Chef Picca finds his greatest  reward lies with sharing his passion as a chef in teaching and mentoring others how to cook like a Chef. He enjoys educating and nurturing the interest of untrained culinarians of any age and finds that the process of learning is mutually enjoyable and ultimately rewarding for both student and teacher.