About the Chef

Chef Irv Miller
(pictured with co-owner Barry Phillips)

Considered one of the great chefs of Northwest Florida, Jackson's executive chef Irv Miller has prepared dinner at the James Beard house on more than one occasion. Besides running an award-winning restaurant with an extraordinary menu, he has also once broadcasted a PBS cooking show, Flavors of the Coast. On top of this Irv found time to compile his most beloved dishes into a three cookbook series. The recipes come from the 30-minute weekly television show that he hosted on WSRE.

Chef Miller is also recognized as one of the originators of the "radical" experiment that CNN dubbed "New Florida Cooking" and is hailed as a pioneer of "Florida Coastal Cooking" along the Panhandle. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in 1982, Miller began his career along Florida's Upper Gulf Coast as Chef at Destin's first out-of-the-ordinary restaurants, Les Saison's and Colour's. Miller's cuisine made national acclaimed while presiding as Chef at Seaside's highly successful Bud and Alley's restaurant for five and a half years.) Miller has a distinct style, a powerful vision and most of all the ability to translate bold ideas into food that's irresistibly delicious and beautiful. Miller's recipes and articles have been included in CNN's On the Menu, Bon Appetit, Food Arts, Food and Wine, Florida Trend, Coast Food, Florida Living; Birmingham's Portico, Southern Living and Atlanta magazines. In March 1999, Chef Miller and his business partners combined their expertise to bring downtown Pensacola its first world-class restaurant. Jackson's, features Southern-influenced American Cuisine, highlighting aged meats, and local seafood. Jackson's has received the "Award of Excellence" from the Wine Spectator since 2000. Jackson's is also recognized as one of Florida's Top 25 restaurants and has received the "Golden Spoon Award" since 2001 from Florida Trend. Another of Miller's accolades is the prestigious "DiRoNA Award of Excellence." Miller is Chef and Host of an exciting WSRE Public Broadcasting cooking show, "Flavors of the Coast," hosting fifty-one episodes to date.

Irv has been instrumental in the successful opening of twelve restaurant concepts, including six restaurant operations beginning with planning and development to full production phases. Miller has consulted as both Kitchen Planner/Designer and Concept/Food Development Chef for Frangista Seafood and Spirits, the Howard Group, and multiple concept units for Destin Development. Jackson's is a sister restaurant of the successful and celebrated Fish House and Atlas Oyster House of the Great Southern Restaurants Group.