15 Feb 2026 The 12-course career of Jason Knapp
By Donna Lampkin Stephens
At 18, a young Jason Knapp could never have imagined the places his unlikely career would take him by 46. From Conway, the district sales manager with Performance Foodservice, is a Certified Executive Chef through the American Culinary Federation who also holds a ProChef II certification through the Culinary Institute of America. He is a two-time Arkansas Chef of the Year.
And it all started at Waffle House.
He was a recent graduate of Little Rock Catholic in 1997, uncertain of his future, when a friend applied for a job at the ubiquitous chain restaurant. On a lark, he did, too. “Jokingly, I thought, ‘What do you have to do to get a job at Waffle House?’” he remembered.
He got the job and waited tables on the overnight shift until a manager asked him one night if he knew how to cook. He didn’t. But from that night on, he was on the grill.
“I did not know how to boil water,” Knapp said, recalling three Little Rock robbery/homicide detectives who came in every night and ultimately asked if they could bring him some food to cook for them.
“They brought in a package of hot dogs, and I told them, ‘I don’t have a microwave back here. How am I supposed to cook these?’ They told me to put them on the grill or in a pot of water.”
School hadn’t been too interesting to him, and he found that he loved working with his hands. He took great satisfaction when customers would come in and ask him to cook their food. After about two years, he moved to the venerable Zack’s Place on University Avenue in Little Rock.
“My grandfather (Dr. Fay Wardlaw) was an orthodontist in Little Rock, and it really bothered him that I was a cook at Waffle House, so they helped me get an interview,” Knapp recalled. “He loved to see people succeed. I wasn’t born with many things, gift-wise, but God did give me the ability to cook food.”
A friend was considering attending culinary school through what was then the Arkansas Chapter School of Apprenticeship with the American Culinary Federation, and Knapp decided to join him. (The program now is through Pulaski Tech.) It was a three-year, once-a-week, on-site program, with apprenticeship the major portion of the education. After Zack’s Place, he honed his skills at Pleasant Valley Country Club and Sonny Williams’ Steak Room while pursuing his culinary certification.
And that was where he came across the late Don Bingham, who would become perhaps his most important professional mentor. Bingham was then working as administrator and executive chef at the Arkansas Governor’s Mansion and inquired of school officials about potential recruits. Knapp credits Bingham for making him more than “a regular, run-of-the-mill cook.”
He worked under Bingham for five of his eight years at the Mansion. When Bingham moved to the University of Central Arkansas as director of special events, he got his protege an interview to work for Aramark on campus. The interview consisted of cooking a 12-course meal for Barbara Meadors, wife of then UCA President Allen Meadors. The meal consisted of three hot and three cold courses of beef and three hot and three cold courses of lobster. Some of the dishes he presented were lobster rolls, Beef Tataki, poached lobster with Beurre Monte and Steak au Poivre.
“That was the interview — ‘Cook me a meal, and if I like it, you’re hired,’” he recalled. She did, and he was.
After three years at UCA, other stops were Green Leaf Grill, a health food restaurant in Little Rock, Sysco Foods as in-house chef, and food sales with Performance Foodservice, where he is now district sales manager. He also returned to the Governor’s Mansion for several months following the election of Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
Through it all, he has remembered some advice from a fellow chef: “If you treat everybody like they’re cold, tired and hungry, you’ll be a success in this business.”
“That made sense,” Knapp said. “It’s the hospitality industry. People want to be treated a certain way. If I can deliver somebody a meal with an excellent experience in a fantastic setting, it really doesn’t matter what the cost is because that’s what they’re there for, that experience.”
Knapp and his wife, Nicole, have two children. Their son, Taylor, is 18, and their daughter, Olivia, is 14. And he is “150 percent” the main cook at home. “She might make some muffins or cookies, but I do the rest,” he said, adding that as a chef, he cleans up along the way.
His go-to meal at home is surprisingly simple. “After all the rich food I’ve eaten, I enjoy some grilled protein — chicken, beef or pork — and a salad, something light that doesn’t weigh me down,” he said. “When it’s not the holidays, I try to treat myself with healthier meals.”
And yes, the Knapp kids eat boxed mac and cheese.
The hardest thing he’s ever done as a chef?
“The ProChef II test or cooking for Mrs. Meadors,” he said. “That was one of the crowning moments of my career.”
Knapp has put together a Valentine’s three-course meal to inspire 501 cooks at home — cream of brie soup with crispy bacon and chives, pan-seared strip steak with gremolata topping, fondant potatoes, glazed carrots, and apple tarte tatin for dessert.
Jason Knapp’s Valentine’s Day three-course meal
Cream of Brie Soup
¼ cup unsalted butter
1 small onion, diced
2 celery ribs, diced
¼ cup all-purpose flour
4 cups chicken stock
½ lb. Brie cheese, rind removed and cubed
½ cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp. cooked diced bacon
2 tsp. chives or green onion
Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Sauté onion and celery until onion is translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Stir in flour and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Wait for the roux to develop a slight nutty smell. Gradually whisk in chicken stock. Simmer until soup is thickened. Add heavy cream and bring back to a simmer. Add the Brie cubes slowly, stirring a few at a time into the soup. Carefully transfer soup (in batches) to a blender. Puree until smooth and velvety. Ladle into bowls and garnish with bacon and chives.
Jason Knapp’s Pan-Seared Beef Strip Steaks with Gremolata
2 beef strip steaks 10-12 oz. each • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil (high smoke point) • 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 shallot, quartered • 2–3 sprigs fresh thyme
Optional: 1 clove garlic, smashed
Pat steaks dry. The drier the surface, the easier it is to form an amazing crust. Season generously with salt and pepper. Using a heavy skillet (cast iron or stainless steel), heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Place the steaks in the skillet. Sear 2-3 minutes per side until a deep crust forms.
Lower the heat to medium-low, add butter, shallot quarters, garlic and thyme sprigs. Tilt the pan and, using a larger spoon, baste the steaks with butter and aromatics. Continue this process for 1-2 minutes. Check doneness with a meat thermometer (medium rare should be about 130 F). Remove the steaks from the pan and allow to rest 5 minutes before serving.
Gremolata
1 cup fresh, flat-leaf parsley (finely chopped) • 1 clove garlic (minced)
Zest of 1 lemon (finely grated) • 1 tsp. red pepper flake
1 Tbsp. good quality olive oil •Pinch of salt
Wash and finely chop parsley. Mince garlic. Grate lemon zest. In a small bowl, combine parsley, garlic,
lemon zest, red pepper flakes and salt. Mix while adding olive oil. Serve with grilled meats, fish or vegetables.
Fondant Potatoes
4 large russet potatoes
2 Tbsp. neutral oil (canola or vegetable)
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
3–4 sprigs fresh rosemary
3–4 sprigs fresh thyme
4 cloves garlic, smashed
1 cup chicken stock (or enough to come halfway up the potatoes)
Kosher salt, to taste
Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Instructions: You’ll need an oven-safe skillet.
Preheat oven to 400°F (205°C).
Peel the potatoes and cut off the ends; slice each potato into 2- to 3-inch-thick cylinders, about 2 inches tall. Rinse under cold water and pat dry with a paper towel.
Heat oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Season the potatoes generously with salt and pepper. Place the potatoes flat side down in the pan. Sear 3-5 minutes per side until a deep golden brown.
Reduce heat to medium, add the butter, rosemary, thyme and smashed garlic. Pour in enough chicken stock to reach halfway up potatoes. Transfer the skillet to a 400F degree oven and cook for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are fork-tender and creamy inside. Serve and enjoy.
Glazed Carrots
3-4 medium-sized carrots, peeled and cut into uniform bias-cut slices.
¾ cup + 2 Tbsp. water
1 ½ tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. black pepper
¼ cup granulated sugar
3 ½ Tbsp. unsalted butter
2 whole star anise pods
Instructions
In a medium skillet, add the carrots, butter, sugar, salt, pepper, water, and star anise pods. Cover with a lid and start the pan from cold. Cook over medium-high heat for 10-12 minutes until carrots are tender and the butter, sugar and water have formed a glaze.
Do not overcook; the carrots should have a nice, tender bite to them.
Apple Tarte Tatin
A Tarte Tatin is a classic French upside-down pastry where fruit is caramelized in butter and sugar before being topped with pastry dough and baked, then inverted for serving.
6 medium apples,
Granny Smith or another tart variety
1 tsp. lemon juice
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 sheet puff pastry (thawed)
A pinch of kosher salt
Preparing the apples: Peel, core and quarter apples, toss with lemon juice to prevent browning.
Preparing the caramel: Using a 10-inch, oven-safe skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add sugar, swirl the pan occasionally, and cook until it turns a golden caramel color (about 5-7 minutes).
Assemble and bake: Have oven preheated to 375°. Arrange apple quarters, rounded side down, into the caramel in a circular pattern. Cook over medium heat until the apples soften, and the caramel thickens. Roll your puff pastry out to a round that is slightly larger than the skillet, lay it over the apples, tucking the edges down around them. Pierce the dough all over with a fork to let steam escape. Transfer the skillet to the preheated oven and bake for 20-30 minutes until the pastry is golden and puffed. Cool the tart for 5 minutes, then invert onto a serving platter. Sprinkle a pinch of kosher salt over the apples. Serve warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
- From tragedy to purpose - May 10, 2026
- The Wednesday Table - March 15, 2026
- The 12-course career of Jason Knapp - February 15, 2026
