Meet the Cast of 'Top Chef' Season 5
Jeff McInnis is one of the contestants of the fifth season of the Bravo reality show Top Chef. The Niceville, Florida native began his culinary career when he was 15 years old preparing freshly-caught seafood from fishing boats to restaurants. He grew up fishing and surfing with his brother and by age 14,was working on local boats and cleaning the catches of the day. By 16, McInnis was peeling shrimp, cleaning squid and cutting fish for The Marina Caf?, where he got his start cooking on the line. After graduating from high school, he moved to Charleston, South Carolina to attend Johnson and Wales University. While in school, he worked at Atlanticville Restaurant outside of Charleston. While studying at the Johnson & Wales University, he began working as a sous chef, and moved on to different restaurants and hotels on both coasts. Currently, the 30-year-old works as the Chef de Cuisine at the DiLido Beach Club at the Ritz-Carlton South Beach in Miami.