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JD Smith grew up in Verona, New York and attended Vernon-Verona-Sherrill Central School. He graduated from Mohawk Valley Community College in 2006 with an associate’s degree in Culinary Arts Management. JD worked in local establishments full time while he obtained his degree; working every position in a restaurant provided abundant experience in the intricacies of an operation. Upon graduation, he traveled to Paris, London, and Amsterdam, sampling new, old, and obscure cuisine. His experience made him realize that food was his calling. JD went on to work at the Savoy Restaurant of Rome, working his way from line cook to Executive Chef. There, he met the love of his life, Alisha. JD soon found a passion in primitive camping and foraging, honing his skills in an outdoor tradition he can pass down to his children, Evan and Brody. He went on to work at Turning Stone Resort and Casino as a Sous Chef in the Event Center and Showroom, cooking for green room functions, upscale weddings, and feature menu tastings for many culinary-based receptions. Later he realized that his passion resides in more intimate, family-owned restaurant operations, and he developed an affection for a more sustainable, responsible, and local approach to cooking. He continued to develop his skills at Utica’s premier farm-to-table restaurant, The Tailor and The Cook, as a Sous Chef. It was there that he met Chef Vincent Petronio, who quickly became a close friend. The two collaborated on style of cuisine and principles to create a concept they call mōtus. To Chef JD, mōtus is a movement of change, a revolution in cuisine through which a guest can contribute to the development and celebration of Upstate New York’s progress in agriculture and small business.

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