Chef J. inspires those around him, cooking up one meal at a time after a troubled past. (Courtesy: @entreesbyjay_\/Instagram)<\/p>\n
Brampton local Chef Jay turned his troubled past that included house arrest into a success story after finding his purpose in the kitchen during this difficult time. Today, he is inspiring others to choose a better path for themselves, and is doing so while serving community loved dishes.<\/p>\n
As he was stuck inside on house arrest with nothing to do, Jayden Bailey, known online as Chef Jay, shifted his energy towards cooking.<\/p>\n
\u201cI always loved to cook, and it\u2019s always been a passion of mine. But I never took it really seriously until I got into the situation of me being on house arrest,\u201d Bailey told The Brandon Gonez Show. \u201cI found that fire, that passion within cooking, and I just wanted to continue with it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bailey shared that his mom, who had also taught him how to cook years ago, was his biggest support through his life struggles and his cooking journey during his time on house arrest.<\/p>\n
From cooking as a way to keep busy to opening \u2018Entree\u2019s by Jay\u2019<\/p>\n
Nine years ago, while on house arrest, Bailey\u2019s passion for cooking inspired him to start Entree\u2019s by Jay<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I made that turn to stop doing the nightlife and go back into cooking full-time, that\u2019s when I realized that this is what I\u2019m really meant to do,\u201d Bailey shared.<\/p>\n He chefs up Caribbean fusion dishes, including his favourite oxtail grilled cheese sandwich<\/a>, jerk chicken poutine, mac and cheese jerk chicken pie, or sweet rum plantain<\/a>, all available for catering, meal prep, to-go plates, or event requests.<\/p>\n \u2018It really warms my heart\u2019: Chef Jay on increased support after viral review video<\/p>\n Recently, Facebook Marketplace food reviewer Yoyo, under the handle @yoyoyummyyy<\/a> on Instagram, tasted Chef Jay\u2019s favourite dish: the oxtail grilled cheese sandwich.<\/p>\n The video received over 10,000 likes, and Bailey\u2019s received endless support.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m overwhelmed right now. Ever since he posted that review, it\u2019s really been like every single person almost, within the GTA, just messaging me,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The support goes beyond borders, with people from Australia and Africa showing love, Bailey added.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat keeps me going is serving people, seeing people happy when they eat my food, especially with the review,\u201d he said. \u201cIt really warms my heart to know that I can make people feel good when they try my food.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018Keep showing up for yourself\u2019: Bailey shares advice on changing your story<\/p>\n \u201cKeep showing up for yourself,\u201d Bailey said. \u201cThere\u2019s gonna be a time where you really want to change, and you just have to progress and press forward and push that you want to change, and that change will come as long as you don\u2019t give up on yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n He shared it takes time, but as long as you keep showing up for yourself, the change will come eventually.<\/p>\n Now that he\u2019s accomplished turning his life around, Bailey hopes to have his own ghost kitchen and lean into private cooking around the world.<\/p>\n To follow Chef Jay on his journey and to try his best selling dishes, you can check out his page<\/a> for more information.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t