Jasper White, a chef of New Jersey origin who authored multiple manuals and mastered the culinary classics of his adopted New England, has passed away, he was 69 years old. He was a prominent figure in the field of New England gastronomy, made his foray into the Boston culinary scene in 1983 by establishing Jasper’s Restaurant, situated on the waterfront. In 2000, he inaugurated Jasper White’s Summer Shack in Cambridge.
Subsequently, he expanded the establishment to Mohegan Sun in Connecticut and Back Bay. His signature dishes, which included roasted lobster, reinvented the traditional cuisine of New England. In addition, White is the author of four cookbooks.
White and Shire oversaw the kitchens of several prestigious Boston hotels, including the Copley Plaza, the Parker House, and the Bostonian, prior to opening their first restaurant in 1979, according to an online biography by the Culinary Institute of America, from which White graduated in 1976. According to the institute, White, who was born in New Jersey in 1954, previously held employment in Montana, New York, Florida, California, Washington state, and New York before relocating to Boston.
White closed Jasper’s Restaurant on the Boston waterfront in 1995, following a prosperous twelve-year tenure, due to apprehensions regarding the potential negative impact of the decade-long Big Dig project on the business. After publishing two cookbooks and five years had passed, he established the inaugural Summer Shack in Cambridge, in close proximity to the Alewife MBTA station.
White adopted a distinct approach with his new establishment, transitioning from the refined ambiance of Jasper’s to a more relaxed and welcoming atmosphere suitable for families.
White’s objective with Summer Shack was to provide city consumers with a traditional New England clam shack experience. Since his departure in 2017, the restaurant has been under the management of the Lyons Group.
According to the institute, White received numerous honors throughout his tenure, including induction into the Massachusetts Restaurant Association Hall of Fame and the MenuMasters Hall of Fame.
Summer Shack was honored with the esteemed James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant in 2001, as declared by the James Beard Foundation.Whisper White Jasper
