Welcome to Vail Chef

Our Story

Cooking, Catering and Hospitality have been at the core of Chef Jay and Chef Adam’s lives with a combined 45 years experience in elevated dining establishments. Their mission is to create flavorful memories focusing on quick service, meaningful connections and fantastic private chef experiences in the Vail valley. Their menus are streamlined to be considerate of the time with your family and friends in our evolving environment.

While they emphasize the dining experiences that they have created in their sample menus, both Jay and Adam believe that everyone’s interests are different and unique and look forward to creating menus that cater to any of your desires.

Jay Spickelmier

Jay joined the restaurant industry at age fourteen in Denver, Colorado. His culinary career quickly took shape while in Boulder, Colorado’s restaurant scene, which included the iconic Flagstaff House.

Finding his passion and the entrepreneur spirit, Chef Spickelmier was at the helm in the kitchen early in his career. In 2001, he relocated to the the Vail Valley. Jay quickly gravitated to the top restaurants & hotels including; the Vail Cascade Resort & Spa, The Left Bank Restaurant, Sonnenalp Hotel, Osakis, and . In 2006 Jay was part of the opening of Spago Beaver Creek at The Ritz Carlton Bachelor Gulch. In 2009 Jay left the Vail Valley to bring several restaurant concepts to life in Denver, most notably Jing Denver in Greenwood Village. In 2011 Jay returned to Vail and joined the Marriot Luxury Collection property there. He continued as the executive chef at the hotel transitioned to become The Grand Hyatt Vail until June 2020.

“My passion for cooking is found in the adventurous Rocky Mountain lifestyle and all that Vail and the surrounding area has to offer. I consider myself an outdoor enthusiast and enjoy everything under the sun. Finding new inspiration to define ‘Rocky Mountain Cuisine’ only requires a quick glance at the natural beauty that surrounds us.”

-Chef Jay

Adam Smith

Adam Smith is a classically trained French Chef. He has devoted the last 20 years of his life to honing his skills as a “Chef of all trades”.

After apprenticing a French master chef for 4 years, Adam spent the next year living in Grenoble, France. While there he worked at Chez le Per’ Gras, a family owned bistro in operation since 1896, learning, exploring, and falling in love with the pastry kitchen. Before returning to the Vail valley Adam attended pastry classes at Ecole Le Nôtre. 

Since Adam has returned to the United States in 2010, he has worked diligently to continue his mastery of all aspects of the culinary arts by spending time as a pastry chef, restaurant chef in both private and corporate settings, spending time as the banquet and catering chef for large resorts and smaller boutique & luxury hotels. Most notably at the Gateway Canyon Resort in 2016 which was named the #1 resort in colorado, #3 resort in the us by Conde Nast, and Travel & Leisure #1 resort hotel in the west & #16 best hotels in the world.

“Cooking is an expression of who that chef is. Where they came from, the people that they have learned from, and all their experiences. I only hope to convey how much I love all of these things through the food I bring into people’s homes.”

– Chef Adam