Chef Ty Thames

Chef Jonathan “Ty” Thames is a Mississippi native who started his culinary career at the age fifteen. Chef Ty started his educational path at the University of Southern Mississippi where he received a BA in Hospitality Management. He then went on to the New England Culinary Institute in Vermont where he graduated with distinction. After leaving Vermont, Chef Ty moved to Parma, Italy to pursue his culinary passion of Italian cuisine.

There he apprenticed under Chef Leonardo of Maria Luigi Restaurant. Upon returning to the U.S., Chef Ty moved to Washington D.C. There, he began work at the Ritz Carlton Hotel, Georgetown Property. After gaining all of the knowledge he could under the renowned chefs of the Ritz Carlton, Chef Ty moved to the regional Italian fine dining restaurant Centro, located in the Bethesda, Maryland where he was recognized in many publications such as The Washington Times, The Washington Post, D.C. Style Magazine and the Washingtonian Magazine.

Chef Ty moved from D.C. to pursue his dream of owning a restaurant in his native state of Mississippi. Traveling back to his roots, he found home in Starkville, Mississippi. Here, Chef Ty has managed to bring the best that he has learned back to the Magnolia State.

Chef Ty is a chef who takes civic responsibility for what he cooks and serves. He is a believer in using natural ingredients, in even the most complex recipes, and he preaches and practices professional responsibility when it comes to chemicals and hormones in foods. Chef Ty believes all chefs should be aware of what is going on in our environment regarding over fishing, waste management, and the products we buy and sell. Chef Ty believes that Chefs should burden the responsibility of educating others of their impact to the industry.