::Chef James::
Simplicity with a slight twist best describes the food of James Turner. A 1991 graduate of Baltimore International Culinary College, he was born and raised in Cambridge, MD, a small town on the Eastern Shore. At an early age, his mother started showing him how to cook. Little did he know this would be the start of something he loved to do. He also learned about food from watching his aunts and his grandmother. In high school he took some vocational classes in food service, and he got his first restaurant job at 15, cooking breakfast at a local family restaurant in Cambridge. Slowly he realized that this was what he had to do. After winning a local vocational cooking contest, he decided to continue his training at culinary school.
His real restaurant experience began after he graduated from Baltimore International Culinary College. He worked at the historical Tidewater Inn in Easton,MD, as a line cook and moved up to first cook, and then spent some time at St. Michael's Harbour Inn and Marina. After that he moved across the Bay Bridge to the historical Treaty of Paris Restaurant in Annapolis, MD, and worked his way up to Executive Sous Chef. After almost 2 years at the Treaty, he moved to Massachusetts and took a job as a line cook at the Boston Ritz Carlton. Working with great chefs of many different nationalities was an incredible experience. After 2 years at the Ritz and feeling a little homesick, James came back to Maryland and found himself at the Washington Monarch Hotel in Washington, DC, where he gained some experience in banquet cooking. After a short time there he moved to Persimmon in Bethesda, MD, and stayed there for 5 years as the Sous Chef. Working with Persimmon's chef owner Damian Salvatore, James' experience and love for food started to come full circle. He helped the two star-rated bistro by the Washingtonian Magazine earn three stars for three years straight as well as a Blue Ribbon for best in the area. Then James decided he was ready to take the next step in his career and came to Harry Browne's Restaurant in Annapolis,MD, as the Executive Chef.
James' food is simple, but he has may influences, ranging from family, the Eastern Shore, and the ethic food he's experienced to local chefs Tracy O'Grady, Bob Kinkead, Jeff Black, and Damian Salvatore to famous chefs such as Patrick Clark, Paul Bocuose, Jasper White, Thomas Kellar, and Tom Colicchio. James hopes that with his experience and his love for cooking he can make dining at Harry Browne's one of the best experiences in Annapolis.