Meet Chef Steve, the Culinary Excellence Behind Our Catering Partner

Chef Steve Jordan, Head Chef, On the Nines and Bouk Catering

You could say that Steve Jordan stumbled upon his path as a chef, but people who know him best believe this is what he was born to do. A part-time job in a restaurant kitchen to fund his education as an art teacher turned out to be his fork in the road.

“I was working at Tomatoes in Wilmington, and after a short time they made me a sous chef,” says Jordan. “I was working 14-hours a day, seven days a week – and I loved it.”

He quickly realized that the qualities that would make him a good art teacher, also made him a great chef – passion, patience and a creative fire. Soon after he applied and was accepted in Johnson & Whales’ advance standing program, he headed to Charleston to start culinary school.

“I thought I’d be there for a year in school – but I ended up staying for eight,” laughs Jordan. He went on to list the restaurants where he put his formal training to the test: Oak; Union Hall; Magnolia; Blossom. Each carries their own badge in the upscale southern cuisine space. Years of training in the city called the culinary capitol of the south led to a passion to open his own restaurant, which then led him to Charlotte.

After heading-up the kitchen in a well-respected chophouse in the Lake Norman area, the concept couldn’t make it work. This time Jordan’s fork in the road had wheels.

“I had bought a catering van and figured this was my sign to launch a business,” says Jordan. Not long after, he met Chris Boukedes, who at the time owned Galway Hooker and was in need of help.

According to Boukedes, they struck a deal as partners in catering while Jordan managed the kitchen, catered the venue space and worked on a plan to put the van to good use.

Since then, the catering business has been going strong for almost a decade and On the Nines, where he serves as Head Chef, has been open for five years and counting. This French Bistro with a southern flair has become a canvas for creating world-class cuisine. Chef Steve carries this creativity to every catering menu – from a 300 person wedding to an intimate bridal brunch.

“We think of food first. So many caterers are just trying to get the job done, not thinking about the food,” says Jordan.  

According to Boukedes, the food quality that is served at On the Nines is some of the best in the region; “our scallops are from California and we wouldn’t think of buying Asian shrimp. To be able to extend our quality of food to a catering menu is unique in this market for sure.”

Jordan is humble about sharing awards and success stories, but smiles when mentioning a couple black box cooking competition where he walked away twice with medals. Even Hellman’s Mayonnaise came calling when looking for southern chefs to promote their spread. (You can watch the commercial here.)

“What I can say about our business, is that we care. We have one job, to make our customer happy and every person on our team is laser focused on that goal.”