Jacob Sessoms

Years of Participation

Jacob Sessoms is a born and raised Southerner with a verve for exploring cultures and culinary traditions. His restaurants (Table, All Day Darling, and his newest concept, Cultura), all located in Asheville, NC, are the result of channeling these influences into each of his endeavors. Throughout his tenure as a chef, Sessoms has earned an array of accolades, including being named a James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef: Southeast in 2010, Rising Star Chef and 2013 Star Chef’s gala host.
The origin of his passion for hosting and cooking for guests stems from his own father, who was the household chef and party-thrower in Sessoms’ childhood home outside of Nashville, TN. Sessoms went on to start his own journey in the culinary world as a student at Warren Wilson College in North Carolina—with little more than dorm room provisions – and officially blossomed as a chef after he got married and started cooking for his family. To fuel his desire to learn more about the craft, Jacob enrolled at the French Culinary Institute in New York City, where he studied classical French cooking techniques and pastry. Upon graduating, Sessoms worked his way up in several high-profile New York restaurants, serving under Jonathan Waxman at Washington Park and Peter Hoffman at Savoy as a line cook, and as the sous chef to Chef Anthony Rose at Bread Tribeca, now an accomplished chef & restauranteur in Toronto.
With a growing family to support and in need of a locale where he could continue to grow within his profession, Jacob and his wife, Alicia, landed back in North Carolina where he took on the role of sous & pastry chef at Reza Setayesh’s Reza’s in Asheville– become a role and mentorship that inspired Sessoms to launch his own concept. In 2005, he partnered with longtime friend and fellow chef, Matt Dawes, to open Table, bringing to life his dream of melding inspirations from his roots, travels, and culinary training to create eclectic, seasonal cuisine. Since then, Jacob, alongside various partners, has opened Tod’s Tasties & To-Gos, The Imperial Life, and All Day Darling. Most recently, Sessoms opened large-format, chef-driven New Agrarian restaurant Cultura, through a partnership with friend and Wicked Weed Co-Founder Walt Dickinson.