Chef Jansen Trotman was born in Trinidad and grew up in the Virgin islands. His family’s love for food and fellowship as well as their passion for clean living became the foundation and inspiration for his culinary career. Chef Jansen has been in the restaurant industry for over 25 years. Throughout the years, he’s had the privilege of working with some wonderfully talented and extremely creative chefs , Dan Eule , Ricardo Heridia, and Anne Kearney, to name a few. Jansen has been the executive chef at Lily’s Bistro in the Oregon district since January where they have always maintained a very close relationship with the local farming community. he’s been helping to grow their team’s love for creative, fun, and seasonally-driven menus that they change each and every day.

What is your favorite ingredient to cook with?

fresh fish

What ingredient do you dread?

canned meat

What’s your favorite dish to make?

beans and rice with a perfectly cooked sunny side up egg.

What’s your favorite pig out food?

taco bake

What restaurant, other than your own do you like to dine at in the Miami Valley?

Meadowlark

What’s your best advice for home chefs?

taste everything… a lot!

If you could invite any 4 guests to a dinner party who would they be and why?

My Mom, Dad and my wife because they share the same love for food and fellowship as I. The fourth person is incredibly difficult to decide, I’ll have to give it some thought.

Who do you look up to in the industry and why?

Nobu Matsuhisa.. he’s my all time favorite chef. I admire his drive and determination to stick to his vision throughout the years in spite of so much adversity and opposition.

What do you do in the Miami Valley on a day off?

usually visit one of the local parks for a walk or a hike and dine at one of the local eatery’s.

Share a kitchen disaster, lucky break or other interesting story:

I was vegetarian until I graduated high school. When I was younger my sister’s and I would spend the summers in Tortola with my grandmother. Her brother regularly brought her fresh whole fish from his morning catch. She would clean it, make broth out of the head and bones to use in soups and stews. This whole process at the time was foreign to me and maybe a bit weird and gross too! One morning I was being a total jerk and telling her that it’s disgusting and awful and she promptly picked up one of the fish heads, and hurrled it at me. That might have been when my deep connection to seafood began!!