Jonathan's At Peirano's
CHEF Jason Collis, the restaurant and one of many outstanding martinis at J's Tapas Bar.....
Peirano's Market a little history for you.....
The Peirano Grocery, built in 1877, is Ventura's oldest commercial brick building. An Italian grocery for 109 years, it serves as a perfect example of how experience, opportunity, timing and vision can come together to create the perfect showcase for a community interested in revitalizing it's historic district and culinary image. Click here for a brief history of the Peirano Market building.
The city of Ventura sold the Peirano/Wilson Studio buildings to K.L. Equities in the spring of 1997 to begin the refurbishing of these historic buildings to anchor the west end of the downtown revitalization. The end result is a truly unique restaurant setting, designed by previous owners Sharon & Jonathan Enabnit.
The location across Main St. from the San Buenaventura Mission and east of Mission Park offers splendid views including the ocean to the south from the Alfresco patio dining area. The menu is an eclectic blend of different recipes and cooking styles from many Mediterranean countries including Spain, Italy, France, Greece, Portugal and North Africa. The kitchen staff at Jonathan's is well known for their flavor combinations and culinary creativity.
The charming interior is very Mediterranean and the restaurant was designed to be a working art gallery with some of the finest artwork in Ventura County. It also features a Mediterranean wine bar with 30 or more wines by the glass as well as an 90+ count wine by the bottle selection. After opening August 27th, 1998, Jonathan's at Peirano's has become a #1 dining destination for customers from all over Ventura & Santa Barbara counties, as well as the San Fernando valley, Los Angeles & beyond.
Owner / Executive Chef Jason Collis As the new owners of Jonathan's at Peirano's in downtown Ventura since late 2004, Jason and Jocelyn Collis have kept some things the same but continue to bring forth new ideas. Dinner favorites remain, but otherwise the menu has had some changes. A rotating seasonal menu designed and created by Chef Collis with local produce and ingredients has been introduced. As executive chef, Collis encourages suggestions.
"We offer Mediterranean cuisine with an Eclectic twist," he says. "We do some French dishes, some from Spain, Italy and a lot more." The restaurant now serves lunch. "The community was asking for it and we need their support to stay open. We also made the menu more affordable," Collis says.
Collis started his culinary profession in the kitchen with his grandmother at an early age - learning traditional dishes from her native region of Naples, Italy. Collis tuned his culinary passion through the years experimenting with his family and friends. Collis graduated from one of only 12 Le Cordon Bleu schools worldwide, which gave him the base of kitchen protocol. He did special event catering for Wolfgang Puck and has worked at Spago's. He then traveled North to Ventura to start a family and became the Executive Chef at Jonathan's. Culinary creativity is foremost in his mind. He incorporates local produce and cultural influences into seasonal menus: Local produce is used from a bi-weekly shopping trip to the Ventura's farmers market; organic mushrooms from Santa Barbara-based Berryman; and herbs, tomatoes and salad greens from Country Fresh farm in Somis. Local fish from Tom with Ocean Pride is a staple item as well. Chef Collis believes a passion for life equals a passion for fine food and fine wine to share with you at Jonathan's at Peirano's
Let's take a look at some of the delectables Chef prepared for our viewing audience on Cooking Local.
Recipes (you will have to visit the restaurant to get and experience these recipes)
Jay's Famous and Scrumptious Avocado Shake
Intriguing Medley of Appetizers
