As a Tennessee native born outside of Chattanooga, Sam Jett is the Director of Operations at Audrey. Stemming back to his early childhood memories with his mother and grandmother, Jett has had an affinity for food and cooking for as long as he can remember. While attending community college, Jett worked various restaurant manager and line cook positions before realizing that if he could spend and enjoy that much time in the kitchen, he ought to look at a career in the space. It was then that his brother bought him a copy of the book, “The Making of a Chef,” and the rest was history. In 2004, Jett enrolled in the Culinary Arts program at Johnson & Wales – Charlotte and following graduation, began his culinary endeavors working and learning about restaurants. He began working with Chef Sean Brock at 2013 for the opening of Husk Nashville. In 2015, Jett took on the role of Chef De Cuisine to open restauranteur Ashley Christensen’s Death & Taxes in Raleigh, NC, before heading back to work with Brock, where he has been the past eight years.
As Director of Operations, Jett is most passionate about taking care of others. This responsibility has become second nature in his daily routine as he regularly trains staff and leads them to flourish in the restaurants, an important skill he learned during his previous chef roles. At Audrey, Jett utilizes his past leadership experience to support both Hospitality and Culinary management as they guide and lead their own teams. With a deep-rooted passion for Appalachian food, the cuisine he grew up on, Jett looks forward to seeing the connections between what Chef Brock puts on the plate and the recipes his grandma used to make for him back in the day.
Jett is also the Director of Operations for Sean Brock’s other Nashville concepts, including The Continental and Joyland. When he is not working, you can find him spending time with his wife and two daughters or heading to the gym.