Jayson Grossberg '97

‘MEMORABLE’- worth remembering or easily remembered, especially because of being special or unusual.

To all that knew Jayson Grossberg, his memorability quotient was off the charts.

The epitome of generosity, with his time, his heart, his friendship, and his companionship. Jayson lived everyday for all those that he loved. His wife Alix, daughters Skylar and Kamryn, parents Ellen and Jerry, and his legions of friends drove his passion to love, entertain, amaze, and simply have your back in any way he could.

Jay made your day when he walked in a room, but in his mind you were making his day. His magnetism is what made him the guy that everyone wanted to be friends with.

G-Berg (as he was often known) was supposed to be our bright light and immensely loyal companion forever. Sadly, the world lost Jayson on April 27, 2017 from complications related to Short Telomeres Syndrome, a rare chromosomal disease.

Jay was born on March 7th, 1973 in Long Island, NY and lived in Cedarhurst, NY until age 10, when his family relocated to Cherry Hill, NJ. He graduated Cherry Hill High School in 1991.

From his early childhood he loved playing all sports especially soccer, tennis and unorganized wrestling. Above all else though, he cared about one thing: playing drums. Throughout grade school, he would silence an entire room with his world class drumming abilities, which eventually led to a jazz percussion scholarship to George Washington University.

Unfortunately, in his third year, his left wrist gave out. Kienbock’s disease left him with such chronic pain and stiffness that even after surgery, drumming was over. At the time Jay was lost, “It was all I knew”, he said.

What made him think of becoming a chef was his salvation. He hadn’t worked in a kitchen before, and had no idea what it entailed. He just knew it was creative and he enjoyed it.

The disease was unlikely to reoccur in his right wrist, doctors assured him. Since he was right-handed, he figured he could get by. In college, he had become a devotee of the Food Network and sometimes cooked for friends. A Mark Twain quote he’d encountered in English class further inspired him. It was, "if people could make their hobbies careers, everyone would be happier.”

Jay schmoozed his way into the famous Washington, D.C. Watergate Hotel Restaurant of Jean-Louis Palladin, where after repeated visits (and a signed promise not to sue if he cut off a finger), he was allowed to volunteer. He worked like a slave, prepping thru the night for free, but being in that kitchen, and not settling for anything less than perfect, made him fall in love all over again.

In 1993, Grossberg enrolled in The Culinary Institute of America. But while doing his first externship in Pompano Beach, Florida, his right wrist flared with pain. Soon he could barely hold a whisk, and the surgeon who had operated on him, advised him to seek a less physically taxing career. Grossberg dismissed the notion. “I had already lost my music,” he said. “I found something else I loved, and I wasn’t about to quit.” In his typical nothing can stop me approach to life, Grossberg graduated from the CIA in 1997.

Jayson’s passion for bringing happiness to others through his Culinary Creations and his all around toughness drove him forward and on to tremendous success in the Restaurant, Catering, and Corporate Hospitality Industry.
Jay worked in several well known restaurants, including Bobby Flay’s Bolo and Mesa Grill in Manhattan and The Union Square Café. He also brought his delicacies to countless happy audiences serving as a Corporate Chef and running a Private Catering Business. In addition, Jay was a partner in various entrepreneurial food and beverage ventures.

In 2007, Jay opened up his very own signature Restaurant named Alphabet Soup in Audubon, NJ. That same year, he was named by Philadelphia Style Magazine to the “Hot Chefs- 10 Power Players” List.

Jayson and Alix who married in 2000, made Manhattan their home for many years along with their beloved dogs. In 2001, they moved to Princeton, NJ and eventually settled into Villanova, PA where Skylar and Kamryn were born in 2005 and 2009

All throughout Jayson’s life, his greatest pleasure would always be to entertain those that he loved and wow them with his food. On most occasions, he would barely eat. He’d just sit back and gain great satisfaction in giving others joy through his culinary creations.

The Jayson Grossberg Memorial Scholarship Fund’s sole purpose is to help those that share the same talent, enthusiasm, and passion for cooking which was such a big part of who G-Berg was. 100% of proceeds are to go toward the CIA tuition of deserving candidates that do not have the financial means to pursue dreams of a career in the Culinary Arts.

This scholarship is the best way that those who love Jayson, can honor him and attach his name to something that would give him so much pride.

“Jayson was the kindest father, husband, and friend I will ever know. Food and Drums defined him. To give back in his honor would make him blush with gratitude.”
Alix Grossberg, Jayson’s wife of 16 years