Jacob | Montana Ale Works

Born and raised in Orlando, Florida, Jacob graduated from Mercer University with a degree in Hospitality Management and immediately headed West to Yellowstone National Park for what he thought would be a short stint working at the Old Faithful Snow Lodge. 
His “brief” trip included meeting his wife, Lauren, and finding his future in the restaurant industry. “The Snow Lodge chef cooked these amazing small plates for us after service while he went over the numbers,” Jacob recalls. “His food blew me away but I also the challenge of running the restaurant really appealed to me. That’s when I decided to go to culinary school.” He enrolled in culinary school in Charleston, South Carolina, and landed a job at Carolina’s, under renowned chef Jeremiah Bacon. “I told him, I have no idea what I’m doing, yet, but I’m a hard worker and a quick learner.” 
Quickly establishing himself as a talent in the kitchen, Chef Bacon promoted Jacob to Sous Chef of his second restaurant, The Macintosh, and was soon Bacon’s Chef de Cuisine. It was only a matter was promoted to Executive Chef.
 The Montana dream became reality when Jacob accepted the Executive Sous Chef job at Montana Ale Works in the winter of 2020, but the timing of his arrival coincided perfectly with the Coronavirus shutdown. As we all pivoted to curbside pick-up, social distanced dining, and management meetings by Zoom, Jacob adapted to the new routines and protocols, and quickly established himself as a solid team member and natural leader. After a brief stint as Chef de Cuisine, Jacob was promoted to Ale Works Executive Chef in January 2021 and as offered partnership in late 2022. A keen entrepreneurial bent was evident from day one, but Jacob’s positive impact on operations along with his endless desire to listen and learn increases daily. Back in the kitchen, Jacob guides a talented team to continue developing the Ale Works menu and nightly specials in new and creative ways, while knocking our monthly Beer Pairing dinners out of the park with inventive small plates that draw on Southern culinary roots while incorporate the flavors and ingredients of his new home in the Northern Rockies.