Shawn\u2019s culinary career has taken him across the country to six states, and throughout all stations of the kitchen on the savory and sweet side, including pastry chef roles at 3 star, 2 star, and 1 star Michelin restaurants. This journey all began humbly at his father\u2019s restaurant and deli in Boston\u2019s South Shore.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father taught me the value of independence and sparked my desire to open a restaurant. Witnessing the culture he created at his restaurant, I\u2019ve known that for a fulfilling career, I need to be in an environment that brings me joy. As I\u2019ve navigated my career from city to city, I\u2019ve gained invaluable experiences and formed meaningful connections. These relationships have fueled my passion and happiness in the industry. Connecting with people brings me joy, whether through the intimate experience of sharing food or the rewarding process of mentorship, I thrive on these interactions. Opening Camaraderie represents my vision of creating a welcoming culture where I can help others grow and share my passion for hospitality. My goal is to make people happy, not just through great food, but by fostering genuine connections within a vibrant community.\u201d<\/p>\n
Following his education at the New England Culinary Institute, he worked with some of the country\u2019s most renowned French chefs in Philadelphia, New York, and Chicago. At the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia, and later at his namesake LaCroix at Rittenhouse, Shawn worked for Jean-Marie LaCroix. He then was part of the opening team for L\u2019Atelier De Jo\u00ebl Robuchon at the Four Seasons New York in 2007 before moving on to work in the kitchen of Laurent Gras at L2O. Shawn spent eight years immersing himself in the savory side of the kitchen before transitioning to the pastry world for the next 10 years. During his time as an executive pastry chef in San Francisco, his leadership and creativity helped elevate Quince from 2 to 3 Michelin stars, and Saison from 2 to 3 Michelin stars. Saison also earned 4 stars from the San Francisco Chronicle during his time there.<\/p>\n
Among his other accomplishments, Shawn earned a James Beard Award semifinalist nod for Best Chef: Texas in 2026. Previously, he has earned recognition as \u201cBest New Pastry Chef\u201d in 2012 from Food & Wine magazine, and \u201cRising Star Chef\u201d from StarChefs in 2011.<\/p>\n
Outside of the kitchen, Shawn is an avid cyclist. Since 2020, he\u2019s rode and raised money for causes including the No Kid Hungry Chefs Cycle, Bike to the Beach for Autism Speaks, and Bike Around the Bay for the Galveston Bay Foundation for local agriculture. Recently, he\u2019s also become involved with Southern Smoke and the James Beard Foundation\u2019s sustainability initiatives.<\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":10228,"template":"","class_list":["post-10227","chef","type-chef","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/southernsmoke.org\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chef\/10227","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/southernsmoke.org\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chef"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/southernsmoke.org\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chef"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southernsmoke.org\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10228"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/southernsmoke.org\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10227"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}