Philip Whitmarsh
Jewel of the South | New Orleans
SEPTEMBER 2022
Hailing from London, England, Philip Whitmarsh began his career as a culinary journeyman. After a day of cleaning scallops and peeling shallots at The Square, Whitmarsh apprenticed at The Connaught Hotel as soon as he graduated from high school. He took his culinary training global, spending a year in Australia before moving to the southeast coast of England. In 2004, he went to a small Hebridean island. Whitmarsh cooked at Reef for two years while professionally fishing on a day boat, then ran a local hotel restaurant, sourcing every ingredient within a 2-mile radius. He returned to Australia in 2012, becoming head chef of Lochiel House country inn in Sydney. He headed west to Adelaide soon after that, joining the opening team of the experimental, offal-centric Daniel O’Connell Irish Pub & Restaurant, where he worked his way up to chef de cuisine.
In 2016, Whitmarsh made his biggest move yet: he followed his wife to her hometown of New Orleans. While waiting for his green card, Whitmarsh volunteered at the Hollygrove Market & Farm, immersing himself in the local hospitality community. He started working on the line at Compère Lapin and was quickly promoted to sous chef under Chef Nina Compton. With experience cooking in small kitchens, Whitmarsh was hired alongside Rising Stars alum Chris Hannah as chef de cuisine of a new restaurant, Jewel of the South. They opened in 2019 with a menu of classic, globally-inflected Creole dishes, but after a visit to London, Whitmarsh was inspired to overhaul the menu, creating dishes that were more personal to him. Now as executive chef, Whitmarsh highlights classic British techniques and flavors, while making use of all the seasonal produce Louisiana has to offer.
