Chef Irv Miller

 

Considered one of the great chefs of Northwest Florida, Jackson's Steakhouse Executive Chef Irv Miller is recognized as one of the originators of New Florida Cooking and a pioneer of Florida Coastal Cooking. Chef Miller has an incredibly distinct style, powerful vision, and an innate ability to translate bold ideas into irresistibly delicious and visually stunning dishes.

A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Chef Miller has been an active culinary force on the Gulf Coast since 1982. Beginning his career at Les Saison's and Colours in Destin, Miller moved on to Seaside where he presided as chef of Bud & Alley's restaurant for over five years. During his tenure, he appeared twice on CNN's "On the Menu," bringing national acclaim to the area.

In March of 1999, Chef Miller, along with his business partners, opened Jackson's in downtown Pensacola. The restaurant, the first of its kind in the area, features Southern-influenced American cuisine - highlighting aged meats and local seafood. For the past thirteen years, Chef Miller's excellent cuisine has set the culinary standard for the Gulf Coast, earning Jackson's the Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator, the Golden Spoon Hall of Fame Award from Florida Trend, and the coveted DiRoNA Award of Excellence. In 2002, Chef Miller was asked by the local PBS affiliate to conduct a cooking program, "Flavors of the Coast," which ran for four seasons, becoming the premier cooking show highlighting the best chefs and local food destinations along the Gulf Coast.

In addition to these honors, his recipes and articles have been featured in Bon Appétit, Food Arts, Food and Wine, Florida Trend, Southern Living, and Florida Living - just to name a few - as well the Bon Appétit Yearbook and the Flavors of the Coast cookbook series.

Over his culinary career, Chef Miller has been recognized with numerous other awards and accolades, including having the privilege of preparing dinner at the prestigious James Beard House in New York in 1993, 2001, and since then - as a member of the team and original founding member of the Pensacola Celebrity Chefs - in 2010, 2011, and again in March of 2012.

Chef Miller contributes his talents and initiatives to promote the culinary heritage of Pensacola, the Florida Gulf Coast region, and Gulf Coast seafood in other ways as well. During April 2012, he participated, as a local Celebrity Chef, in the Coastal Living Magazine Cooking Stage demonstration theater at the Sandestin Wine Festival. More recently (August 2012), at the request of the official Florida State Chef, Justin Timineri, he represented the Sunshine State at the Great American Seafood Cook-Off in New Orleans.

Today, Chef Miller continues to serve as one of the five Celebrity Chefs of Pensacola, representing Pensacola and Southern food at its finest. The tradition of excellence continues.