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I Am a Chef

September 2025
Jarrett Stieber as told to Chava Pearl Lansky

Jarrett Stieber

Jarrett Stieber has always been interested in food. He grew up cooking dinner for his family, then worked in restaurants when he was a teen. Today Jarrett owns a restaurant in Atlanta, Georgia, called Little Bear. As the chef and owner of a restaurant, he does a little bit of everything. A typical day might include writing recipes, planning menus, ordering ingredients, cooking, and talking to customers. Jarrett says being a chef is a lot of work, but he loves not having to sit at a desk all day. “It’s different than a lot of other jobs,” he says. “But if you can handle the chaos, it’s just amazing.” Read about Jarrett’s journey to becoming a chef. 

When I was growing up, I loved watching cooking shows. I would cook along with the chef, making dinner for my family. By high school, I knew that I wanted to work with food as a career.

My first job was as a prep cook at a local deli and bakery. I cut up vegetables and helped with simple recipes. Then I did internships at a few fancier restaurants.

After high school, I went to culinary school. I learned to use knives, make sauces, and butcher meat. I also took classes about the restaurant business.

I worked in a lot of restaurants before I was ready to run my own kitchen. It was important to me to use ingredients I could get locally. Eventually, I opened Little Bear. 

My restaurant serves a mix of Jewish and Chinese cuisines. My favorite moments are watching guests smiling and laughing and sharing plates of food.

Jarrett's Advice for Becoming a Chef

There are many paths to being a chef. Some chefs go to culinary school, but many others learn on the job. “The most important thing is just to go get a job at a restaurant,” Jarrett says. “You can start at the bottom, washing dishes or prepping ingredients, and work your way up.”

You might like being a chef if . . .

  • you love food and enjoy experimenting with different flavors.
  • you have a knack for paying attention to details.
  • you enjoy working on your feet in a fast-paced, often high-pressure environment.
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