Gregory James, Executive Chef at the Inn at Perry Cabin, brought his passion for food to the Eastern Shore of Maryland in 2019, continuing his venture in the restaurant industry, a journey that began when James was just 15 years old.
Not long after running paper routes at age 11, Chef James started his career at a Wendy’s in Wisconsin, and was quickly promoted to shift supervisor and opening manager at age 16. Upon the opening of a family restaurant when he was 17, James decided that he would pursue a career in the culinary field. “I knew I didn’t want to do normal office work. I really liked working with my hands, I really liked working on my feet, and I really liked the kitchen atmosphere…I was hooked from day one,” Chef James recalled.
James has now recently opened “Josef’s” in Easton where he sells cheesecake cupcakes. Josef’s is familial for James, as his brother, Nick, opened a similar shop in 2019 by the same name. Nick’s location is in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, but both shops are named after the brothers’ late father, Joseph. After a history of working with his younger brother, Gregory says opening Josef’s “is like Nick and I being able to work together, but in different areas of the country.”
On what he has learned since opening a business, James warns: “Success isn’t overnight. It’s a tough business, reading statistics about restaurants and how they don’t succeed. Something like 50% of restaurants fail after one year…You have to be able to put the work into it. We have a great product, but we’re struggling just like any small business does when starting out. You also have to have a lot of starting capital. ” There are usually around eighteen varieties of cheesecake available at Josef’s ranging from the more traditional cheesecake flavors to specialty and seasonal tastes. James hopes to get to a point where he can open a few satellite shops, using the Easton location as a base of operations.
In addition to his work at the Inn at Perry Cabin and Josef’s, Chef James has been workshopping a cooking class that would meet on Monday evenings inside Josef’s kitchen. His idea was to create something fun and informative that the community can participate in, getting a hands-on experience while learning cooking techniques and preparing unique food items.
“I really wanted it to be more of a social class where people can get together, have a little bit of fun, enjoy some food and wine, and learn new ways to cook at home or for a dinner party. What I really want people to learn is that a recipe isn’t set in stone. Really, what you should take from it, is that you need to taste your food and understand what you’re trying to make. Cooking is fun and passionate and sometimes you make mistakes, but that’s okay as long as you have fun and put some love behind your cooking. People will love it no matter what,” James explained.
Josef’s by Gregory James
Tel: 410 690 8859
Email: [email protected]
Tues – Sat 11 a.m. to 5 p.m
28601 Marlboro Ave Suite 106
Easton
Holly Ruskauff says
Can’t wait to try Josef’s cupcakes! I live in Easton & didn’t know they existed, so I’m glad I happened to come across this article.