Chef Jonathan Scinto is a native of Long Island, New York, who decided to switch careers and industries at age 39. He used to work in college admissions, but left that to follow his dream. With no formal training in culinary arts, he decided to pursue cooking and entertainment.
“My undergraduate degree was in graphic design and advertising. How many people have the courage to leave a six figure career with a toddler and two babies not knowing what to expect? With no formal training in culinary arts I decided to pursue cooking and entertainment all at once. Not because it was a mid life crisis, but my wife Annmarie knew I wasn’t happy working in admissions and said I needed to be on TV so everyone can see my talents of entertaining with food, like a new version of Emeril Lagasse. I was able to bring my entrepreneur mindset and art background by blending those together incorporating my natural ability to cook great food and turn it into a successful Food Entertainment business.” Jonathan shares.
Today, Jonathan is a food artist, television host, content creator, and entrepreneur from Long Island, New York, His main influences are Julia Child, Emeril Lagasse, Gordon Ramsay, and Iron Chef Showdown Japan.
“I run JS Entertainment, which is a mix of food, entertainment, and creative development. I break the current cookie cut molds with fresh and edgy forms of Cheftainment. With ‘Let Your Tongue Have Fun,’ our focus is epicurean food and beverage experiences all over the world. We also offer the live interactive cooking show called ‘Get’n Saucy with Scinto.’ Jonathan is also a content creator for brands of all sizes and give them a credible voice for their products and services. JS Entertainment develops TV concepts for streaming services and network distribution.” Jonathan explains.
Jonathan created the hit Prime Video series “Family Kitchen Revival,” which can now be seen on Roku through Glewed TV. This show was so successful, it is currently being redeveloped for major distribution to hit more markets both internationally and domestically.
“I lost my job in New York in 2001, right after 9/11. It was a devastating blow for a newbie in the post-production industry. I never saw myself as a corporate person working at a computer for the rest of my life. I’m a people person and I needed to move around. Losing my job was a blessing because it gave me an easy outlet to pursue other things.” He says.
Jonathan’s natural talent for entrepreneurship, art, cooking, creating and entertaining, along with the advice of his wife Ann is what inspired him to enter the entertainment and culinary industry. Jonathan is a resilient person, who is always willing to innovate and adapt.
“My wife was the one who inspired me to take that step and take the leap. She was always telling me that the same talent is on all those cooking shows on TV. So I listened to my wife Ann’s advice. She saw an open audition for Master Chef 6 in New York. I went to the audition with my military thermos full of chicken marsala soup, and I sold my point of view about the food to the casting producers. I was chosen as one of the cast members for the show. I told my wife that it was time to take it to the next level and use this to my advantage. I was determined to market myself and become a successful business, regardless of how I did on the show. This was the push I needed to start my business and what inspired me to go further in the industry.“
For the entertainment world, Jonathan believes having a strong mindset is necessary. Otherwise, you may fall prey to many naysayers who think they are right and believe they are entitled to advise you what is good or bad.
“You have to be able to handle rejection and learn from it. All outcomes must be implemented in your mind, regardless of whether they are good or bad. It’s a learning process to build from those experiences. A bull mentality goes a long way. It’s not just about work ethic, it’s about having the right state of mind to block out all the bad vibes that come from developing a successful business.” Jonathan adds.
Jonathan’s upcoming projects include continuing several brand collaborations and co-hosting a new type of cooking talk show that will be on the edgier side of discussions with the co-host and guests. He is also working to launch a podcast in the summer and developing a brand new cooking competition show that will be the first of its kind.
Find out more about entrepreneur Chef Jonathan Scinto and JS Entertainment here.