From just outside Minneapolis, Jon Nodler moved to Madison to attend the University of Wisconsin in 2004. He studied Chinese, art history, and ceramics, never afraid of taking on a full plate and even fi nding time to teach younger students. He got into cooking at the encouragement of friends and while also working at a cafe called Bradbury’s. A barista, Nodler was asked by the cafe’s owners if he could make crêpes. Embracing the challenge, he went to the farmers market, came back, and created a chalkboard menu.
His professional cooking career had kicked off, and Nodler began the serious work of becoming a chef by cooking for Dan Fox at Merchant and The Madison Club. Rising through the ranks, Nodler demonstrated artistic vision and technical acumen.
He moved to the East Coast, and in 2012 joined the team at Rising Stars alum Eli Kulp’s Fork in Philadelphia. Ascending the kitchen hierarchy once again, Nodler was integral in the opening of Kulp’s High Street on Market, and in 2015 he oversaw the opening of High Street on Hudson in New York City. Today Nodler is the culinary director of High Street Hospitality Group, actively cooking and running their operations in two cities (now including Philly’s a.kitchen + a.bar).
High Street on Hudson received two stars from The New York Times, and all the properties in Philly have earned three bells in The Philadelphia Inquirer. Nodler was a semi-finalist for James Beard’s “Rising Star Chef” in 2015.
2017 StarChefs New York Rising Stars Award Winner