Jackson Washington joined us on Aug 25 & 26 for a Southern Comfort Chow.
Growing up in Miami, FL, Jackson learned to cook from his mom. Originally from Mississippi, she was always in the kitchen cooking up Southern comfort food, and he was always next to her. He also took inspiration from his hometown of Miami, a culinary melting pot where Cuban, Jamaican, Haitian, and other Caribbean cuisines abound.
From an early age, Chef Jackson got creative in the kitchen. He’d use up the groceries before his mom could get to them, and his father soon grew tired of his “experimenting” with the family food budget. Not all of his experiments were successful – like the turkey legs he deep-fried as a preteen. They were burnt on the outside and raw on the inside.
He’s now been cooking professionally for almost 20 years. He started his career at the JW Marriott Hotel in Miami, working his way up from room service to sous chef.
Under his brand, JW3 Kitchen, Chef Jackson specializes in Caribbean cuisine, Cajun & Creole cuisine, and down-home Southern comfort food. In addition to catering, doing pop-ups, and providing personal chef services, he has a line of JW3 Kitchen spice blends and sauces.
JUMPIN' JACK
Jackson’s father, Jackson Washington, Jr., was a minister in Miami, FL. He jumped a lot while preaching, earning him the nickname Jumpn’ Jack. His favorite dish – okra and tomato. But to be perfectly honest, Jack Jr. isn’t a fan of his son’s take on the dish, in which whole okra are deep-fried with a flavorful breading, served with a Creole tomato sauce and a cilantro-lime sauce that’s to die for. You’ll be asking if he bottles the sauce (and yes, yes, he does).
Vegan. GF option available.
CHICKEN SOUSE
Souse is popular throughout the Caribbean as a way for cooks to use cow, pig, or chicken scraps. Chef Jackson makes his in the style of his hometown, Miami, where they use chicken wings. Potatoes, carrots, and corn on the cob join the wings in a tangy chicken broth made from his JW3 Kitchen Creole Tomato Sauce, Cajun Blend, and All-Purpose Seasoning.
Gluten-free. Vegan option: Vegetable soup with a veggie broth (all the flavor, none of the meat)
SWEET POTATO FRIED CHICKEN
What Southern meal would be complete without fried chicken? Of course, Chef Jackson can’t make just a simple fried chicken. He brines chicken wings overnight with his JW3 Kitchen All-Purpose Blend and adds more of his signature spice blend to the flour before breading and deep-frying the wings. He pairs the sweet and spicy by topping the wings with a syrup he makes by cooking down sweet potatoes.
Vegan and GF versions available upon request
COLLARD GREENS
Chef Jackson’s collards get their flavor from the smoked turkey, his own JW3 Kitchen All-Purpose Blend (yes, you really can put it in anything), and a secret ingredient. And there’s plenty of pot liquor to dunk your cornbread in. His buttermilk cornbread is light and sweet and finished with a drizzle of honey.
Vegan version: the role of smoked turkey will be played by liquid smoke. Gluten-free cornbread available by request
JACK MAC
Chef Jackson’s favorite dish, both to cook and to eat, his this oven-baked mac and cheese made with four cheeses. When he was doing a kitchen takeover at a restaurant in Brooklyn, the host chef named this dish “Jack Mac,” and the name stuck!
Vegan and GF versions available upon request
PEACH COBBLER BREAD PUDDING
Have you ever wondered what would happen if peach cobbler and bread pudding had a baby? It would be delicious. That’s because nothing is simple when it comes to Chef Jackson’s cooking. He combines croissants, French bread, and Cuban bread as the base of his pudding, but the real flavor comes from his peach, cinnamon, and nutmeg filling and his Hennessy cognac sauce.
Gluten-free and Vegan option: Peaches in the cobbler sauce with vegan whipped topping