Originally from Rives, TN, a rural area near the western boarder of Tennessee and Kentucky, Chef Jason McConnell grew up  in the kitchen, planning and cooking the family dinner once a week. It was during this weekly responsibility that McConnell  began experimenting with a variety of ingredients and flavors. He spent the summers traveling the country with his family, who were for the most part horse trainers in the Tennessee Walking Horse Industry.

Not realizing that his mother’s weekly chore and his culinary experiences would soon develop into his passion, McConnell moved to Oxford, MS to attend the University of Mississippi, where he graduated with a Degree in Political Science, headed in the direction of law and politics. While studying in Oxford, McConnell worked at the highly-respected City Grocery and Downtown Grill, gaining relevant hands-on training and knowledge in the kitchen.

Recognizing his talent and interest, McConnell enrolled in the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY. While in school he worked at Heaven Catering, applying his practical studies to his culinary inspirations. After graduation in 2000, he returned to Tennessee and worked for a total of five years at F. Scott’s, regarded as one of Nashville’s best fine dining restaurants. McConnell trained under respected Chef Margot McCormack for two years and was promoted to Executive Chef upon her departure. While leading the culinary team, McConnell garnered national and regional press, including recognition in The New York Times.

McConnell dreamed of owning his own restaurant, and in 2006, he introduced Red Pony, a unique approach to Tennessee’s southern cuisine and a stylish, laid-back atmosphere to historic downtown Franklin. The restaurant fascinated food critics around the state and gained applause from excited diners.

The Nashville Scene commented on the establishment stating, “Chef Jason McConnell’s new restaurant raises Franklin’s gastro-nomic bar.”  In its annual “Best Of” issue, the publication also proclaimed Red Pony as “the best reason to cross the county line.”

Just 14 months later, McConnell and his close-knit team opened SOL, a sophisticated Mexican restaurant, focusing the menu on fresh ingredients from local farmers and purveyors to create authentic gourmet Mexican cuisine.

Jim Myers, restaurant critic for The Tennessean, commented on McConnell stating, “thanks to Chef Jason McConnell and
SOL, his new Mexican outpost in downtown Franklin is one of the first menus Middle Tennessee has seen that can rightfully slap a gourmet tag on Mexican cooking.”

The opportunity presented itself again in late 2009, when McConnell began preparing to launch his third Franklin restaurant, 55 South. Sharing the building that houses SOL, 55 South offers down-home southern dishes with a New Orleans flair. 55 South opened to great acclaim in January 2010.

Not only does McConnell have three flourishing dining establishments, but he also produces and markets his own line of guacamole dip, Jason’s Guac Starter, which is available online and in retails stores across the city. Working in some of the south’s best restaurants, attending the nation’s most prestigious culinary institute and developing three successful restaurant brands is a fantastic start to the McConnell’s career. There is truly is no telling what he is up to next.