Chef James Courmier

Chef James Courmier has spent over 30 years in the restaurant industry. He was born in Louisiana, where he grew up helping his Acadian French grandparents in the kitchen every summer. Under their guidance, he learned how to hunt and fish, make sausages, help out on shrimping boats, clean oysters, and cook for large gatherings. He spent much of his childhood living overseas and discovered his love of food while living in Ecuador. He also lived in Norway and Saudi Arabia, where he further developed a love for diverse flavors and creative ingredients. 

 

He got his start in the restaurant industry at 18 at Chez Oca in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and then moved to New Orleans, where he honed his skills in a tough food city. He left for Austin a few years later and quickly moved up the ranks in the kitchen world, working at Austin hotspots, The Bitter End and NXNW. After a few years, he moved back to Louisiana to start a family and opened Hemingway’s restaurant with his cousin, which led to multiple TV appearances, and then later worked at L'Auberge Casino Resort Lake Charles and became Executive Chef at Grey Plantation Golf Club. In 2012, he relocated to Austin, where he worked as the banquet chef at Hotel Ella, as well as at well-regarded Austin restaurants Wink, Fabi + Rossi, Juniper, and Jacoby’s Restaurant & Mercantile. 

 

Chef James places a priority on locally sourced ingredients from across South Florida.

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