Originally a native of Michigan, Jamie opened his first restaurant in Chicago, The Pepper Lounge in 1994. His second, Technicolor Kitchen, in 1999 was noted as one of the “10 best new restaurants of the year” by the Chicago Tribune. In 2002 he moved to Portland and waited tables part time while teaching snowboarding on Mt. Hood. In December of 2004 he started construction on Gilt Club, doing most of the work himself. He is also the PDBA’s representative for the PDC’s  River District Urban Renewal Advisory Committee.