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Chef Spotlight

Jill Snyder

Baltimore foodies are all talking about Red Maple's executive chef Jill Snyder. Red Maple, Mt. Vernon's Asian tapas lounge, is harboring a culinary gem who recently garnered national acclaim via Bravo's hit show, "Top Chef." To date, Snyder is the first and only Baltimore chef selected for this competition. She made her television debut on the season premiere of "Top Chef" on November 12 at 10 p.m.

Snyder's culinary roots began early on her uncle's farm, picking berries and baking cookies for the local farmer's market. Although it was never her original life plan to become a chef, it was difficult to deny her innate talent and flair for the art of cuisine. After moving to Baltimore from her hometown of Latrobe, Pa., to attend culinary school at Baltimore International College, Snyder began studying under Baltimore celebrated chef and restaurateur Spike Gjerde. Gjerde's influence can be seen through Snyder's incorporation of fresh, local ingredients in many of her menu items. Her passion for artistic expression and presentation is present in every dish on the menu at Red Maple, infusing locally grown and raised foods, rare and exotic spices, and innovative food preparation and cooking techniques, culminating in beautiful harmony on the plate.

Snyder's proven culinary prowess and local celebrity has put her on the national stage as a cooking force to be reckoned with. She has a self-proclaimed love for creating imaginative sushi rolls and unique desserts, and the five ingredients she always keeps on hand are semisweet chocolate, sushi rice, micro herbs, Banyuls vinegar and champagne. Her goal is to one day own a small resort that serves amazing food and features rides in her hot air balloon.

Spike Gjerde

Chef Spike Gjerde's goal is to nourish and delight guests with cooking grounded in the traditions and ingredients of the Chesapeake region. As owner and chef of his new restaurant Woodberry Kitchen, Gjerde provides a purely farm-to-table dining experience featuring the seasonal best from local growers.

Gjerde has been a prominent part of Baltimore's restaurant community since he burst onto the scene with Spike & Charlie's, opened with his brother in 1991.The restaurant was the first expression of Gjerde's belief in cooking with local, seasonal ingredients, which set it apart from most places of that time.

More recently, Gjerde has focused on local production and sustainability. He has forged relationships with local farmers, growers, and processors. He is also a board member of the Chesapeake Sustainable BusinessAlliance.

In October 2007, Gjerde realized a personal and professional dream with the opening of Woodberry Kitchen. Housed in a 19th-century mill with soaring brick walls, rustic furnishings and handmade light fixtures, it became an instant star in the Baltimore dining scene. Furthermore, it cemented Spike Gjerde's place as a leading chef and visionary as he created a sophisticated, yet playful, menu from foods sourced almost entirely from the Chesapeake watershed.

Critics and the public quickly took notice, praising Woodberry Kitchen's cooking, and packing the dining room on a nightly basis. Spike Gjerde spends his days sourcing products from a complex and ever-growing network of local farmers and artisanal producers, and his nights cooking on the line, usually front and center at the restaurant's reclaimed-brick oven.