Meet Jason Baker of Flavor Affinity

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jason Baker.

Hi Jason, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My culinary adventure started back in 2009. I attended San Diego Culinary Institute and graduated top of my class. After graduation, I went on to join the culinary competition team, winning gold at The Midwest Culinary Saloon in Cincinnati, OH. After working my way through some of the best restaurants San Diego and working my way through the ranks, I eventually took an Executive Chef position.

In 2014, I was ready to move onto something new and answered a call for an Executive chef position. It was narrowed down to the final three. We were asked to submit our salary request. The owner and partners came back and told me they would love to have me but my salary request was more than $13,000 more than the next candidate. I walked. I realized that even a brand new restaurant on 5th Avenue in the Gaslamp District couldn’t afford or weren’t willing to pay a chef even a fair salary.

I left the industry all together. I was jaded. I was upset. I left like my dreams were no longer a possibility. Fast forward to 2017, I met my now fiancé and through an unfortunate accident that left me on disability for three months, she and I had a long conversation on a road trip and the idea of a private chef business was born.

In April 2018, I officially started Flavor Affinity. I left no room to think about what I would do if the business failed. I poured every dollar back into the business. I learned how to reach my market, the importance of SEO, talked with colleagues in the industry, refined my food cost skills, and threw a launch party.

Almost four years in now and Flavor Affinity is thriving. I have the best staff anyone could ask for. My sous chef has become one of my closest friends. Shout out to Erik Baldwin. Our biggest problem is also the best one, we are busier than we can handle. We are looking to expand and a top goal for 2022 is to find a counterpart to train and execute more opportunities for more clients.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has been said that the road less traveled will never be smooth. The path wasn’t laid out for me. The systems weren’t in place. I had no investment capital, no marketing and no clients. Building something out of nothing and selling it is not an easy thing to do but I wasn’t looking for the easy route. I had already been down that road and knew it didn’t lead to where I wanted to go.

I lost a good number of jobs simply because I had no track record. I didn’t have Yelp reviews, Google presence or marketing budget. It was truly grass roots. I forced my way into the market. I was undervaluing my projects and events just to get my foot in the door. I paid out of pocket for a launch party for 30 guests. I attended the Rancho Santa Fe Food Festival, serving 300 guests for free. I didn’t pay myself for the first two years. I worked for a local caterer while building Flavor Affinity to make ends meet. It wasn’t glamorous. It was hard work and I couldn’t be happier with where the business is today.

There will always be obstacles and challenges. They just evolve and realistically, as the business grows, the problems tend to get bigger and more difficult to solve. Personally, I welcome each and every one of those challenges.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Flavor Affinity strives to source all ingredients locally and sustainably where possible. We are a scratch kitchen, making all sauces, dressings and stocks for braises in house. We bake all our own desserts. We purchase fresh and dockside flash frozen seafood from Saraspe Seafood, Catalina Offshore Products, El Pescador Fish Market, and Point Loma Seafood. Our meats are sourced locally from environmentally responsible purveyors. We believe in tradition. We believe you should know what’s on the plate by looking at it, not trying to decipher it from the menu description. Upscale cuisine from French roots with Asian, Mediterranean and Baja flavors while taking advantage of all that coastal California has to offer. That is who we are and that’s the way we believe food should be.

Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
We are hiring!

Chef de Cuisine (Part Time)

1. Sous chef experience or 3+ years in restaurant, hotel, or catering.
2. Solid knife skills with knowledge of all traditional cuts.
3. Professional attitude towards clients and Flavor Affinity staff
4. Able to work independently . Execute 3-4 course meals for 8-12 guests.
5. Able to lead service and kitchen staff with clear direction and patience.
6. Ability to consciously shop for ingredients, understanding quantity needed to control waste and over buying of product.
7. Firm grasp on plating and culinary design
8. Open to stage (working interview) for at least 1 event.
9. Committed to building the Flavor Affinity brand and becoming an integral part of the team.

Submit Resume to:
Chef Jason Baker
jason@flavoraffintiy.com

Pricing:

• 3 Course starts at $125.00
• 4 Course starts at $145

Contact Info:

• Email: jason@flavoraffinity.com
• Website: flavoraffinity.com
• Instagram: flavoraffinity
• Yelp: flavoraffinity