The people behind the stove.
JTI is a personal chef service built on one standard: exceptional food, made by people you can trust. It grew out of a genuine love of feeding families and years of experience learning exactly what that means.
Let us help you figure out if JTI is the right fit for you.
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A Note from Ali
When JTI started, it was just me, a cooler full of groceries, and a dream. I cooked for every family and learned how they ate, what made their lives easier, and what really mattered to them.
At the same time, I was raising my own kids, managing food allergies, building a business, and figuring out what was for dinner at my house too. I know firsthand how relentless feeding people can be.
Now JTI has grown into a team of chefs who are, honestly, exceptional in their own right. My job these days is making sure they have the support and systems behind them to do what JTI has always done: handle the planning, the shopping, and the cooking, so dinner is one less thing you have to think about.
I’m so glad you’re here.
1985
A family of cooks
I come from a long line of great cooks. Classic American and Norwegian fare. Cream and butter were basically their love language. This is where my love of food started, and where I learned that a good meal is really just a way of taking care of people.
1996
2006
A 3-year stint as a vegetarian
I tried a 3-year stint in vegetarianism after college, but was lured back by fried chicken. No regrets.
Left a decade in sales for the culinary world
After about a decade in sales and marketing, I walked into my first culinary class and never looked back. It was love at first class.
2008
A B&B and a caterer
My first culinary jobs. I was exactly where I was supposed to be.
2009
My culinary journey was put on hold
For three amazing reasons. Let's call them Larry, Curly, & Moe.
2015
Kitchen manager at a gourmet food shop
When my youngest was about one, I made my way back into the food world as a prep chef and, later, kitchen manager, at a gourmet food shop in Atlanta. Working with family meal plans here honed my cooking skills in ways culinary school never could. Real families, real preferences, real chaos. This is also where I knew for certain: families were my people.
2017
Catering liaison at Whole Foods Market
I joined Whole Foods Market as a catering liaison. It deepened everything I knew about food quality, intentional eating, and what people actually want when they care about what goes on their table. It also gave me the final push to build something of my own.
2018
Food allergies changed everything
My son was diagnosed with food allergies, and I discovered sensitivities of my own. We overhauled how our family ate, switched to a whole-foods approach, and felt dramatically different. It wasn't a detour. It reshaped how I cook, who I cook for, and what JTI looks like today.
2018-Today
A team. A standard. A company worth trusting.
What started as one chef with a cooler full of groceries is now a team of remarkable chefs serving families across Raleigh and Charleston. My food journey shaped how JTI operates, from how we handle dietary complexity to the standard we hold every chef to.
JTI has grown into something bigger than my story now. It belongs to the families we serve, the chefs who show up every week, and the belief that taking care of people means paying attention and always looking for ways to do it better. That’s what keeps me going.
BECAUSE WHO NEEDS COMPLICATED?
Dinner, handled.
Soccer practice. Back-to-back meetings. A car full of kids and a fridge full of good intentions. You just ran out of time again.
That's where we come in. We plan it, shop for it, and cook it right in your kitchen. Real food, made well, every week—one less thing on the list. And we know it's a long one.
Some things are worth repeating.
Feeding a family is one of the most important things a person can do. It is also relentless. Three meals a day, every single day, for people you would literally do anything for.
We know exactly how heavy that is, and we built something to help carry it.
When it's just too much. Just Table It.