Executive Chef James Bacchues is the owner of Catering by Dajzyne (pronounced Design) and a 2003 graduate from Culinary Arts Program at The Art Institute of Philadelphia. Chef James has been in the culinary arts field for 6 years. His love for cooking began at age 5 when his mother let him add the eggs to a favorite family recipe. As Chef James reflects on his delight with cooking, “People don’t realize the impact sharing time has with young children in the kitchen. Cooking is a beautiful gift. Just watching the joy on people’s faces while eating something you made with your own hands is wonderful.”
He gained valuable lessons for his style of cooking from working as a Line Cook/Expediter preparing Asian and Latin American Foods at the Borgata Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, NJ. For the past 3 years, he has been the talk of the University of Pennsylvania’s campus as the Executive Chef for the Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity and Sigma Delta Tau Sorority. As the students put it, “Chef James has taken the menu to new heights and has everyone excited about eating back at the house again.” He also has catered many national social events, weddings, and private engagements with his partner, Pastry Chef Bernadette Ambrose, also a graduate of the Culinary Program.
James enjoys bringing the cooking experience to the community. He donates his time helping to raise funds for after-school programs by leading the food committee of the Camden Neighborhood Renaissance’s Annual Arts Festival – “A Sweet Taste of the Arts”. His Bar-B-Q shrimp made front-page news in the Courier Post recently. He also cooks for the annual Father’s Day, “Real Men Cook for Charity” event. His “Slammin’ Spinach” recipe for the event gained national recognition and was featured in the Thanksgiving 2004 holiday edition of Essence Magazine.
Chef James is currently developing a youth program with the help of Nurturing the Arts Foundation called “Junior Chef Club”. The mission of the Junior Chef Club is to allow inner city youth the opportunity to enjoy the fascinating world of the culinary arts by education and participation in a cooking environment. Chef James brings an excitement to the kitchen that addresses the microwave’s generation’s need to relax, release, create, and enjoy cooking. The Club has classes with various themes and lessons, but underlining message is to promote practice safe, nutritious, and fun cooking.
Chef James also believes in the importance of giving back to The Art Institute of Philadelphia. James has been an active member of the alumni community, specifically volunteering his time to serve on an alumni panel to provide real life advice to current students on the importance working hard and staying positive in your career and being responsible and motivated to create your own successful future.