James Salomone Fuerst Endowment

Chef James Salomone-Fuerst grew up in Chicago, in a large Italian-American family. He worked in construction until his late-thirties, when he decided to pursue his life-long passion for cooking by attending culinary school. Drawing inspiration from his mother and his classical French training, he soon established a reputation as a rising star in the culinary world. He worked under Ken Oringer at the Eliot Hotel’s Clio in Boston, in New York City un-der Tom Collichio at Craft and Colicchio & Sons, as well as under Daniel Boulud at Café Boulud. He eventually rose to the position of Executive Chef at Parsnip, in Boston, where he created globally inspired and ingredient-driven modern American cuisine.

Chef James was an inspiring and compassionate leader in the kitchen, and, when he was Executive Chef at Parsnip, his restaurant became known for helping aspiring professionals in both the culinary and hospitality fields launch their careers. Chef James pushed himself when it came to his technical skills and knowledge of cuisine. He contri-uted to the Boston culinary community, and, when he wasn’t in the kitchen at Parsnip, he taught cooking classes a the Cambridge Center for Adult Education.

In June of 2019, at the age of 47, he died unexpectedly from complications following surgery.

Chef James Salomone-Fuerst used his cuisine to celebrate his Italian-American heritage, strengthen bonds with his friends and family, and to discover other cultures and traditions.