Jason Santos

Jason "Jay" Santos is a Boston-based restaurateur, cookbook author, runner-up on Hell's Kitchen season 7 and has appeared on Bar Rescue seasons 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9. He returned for season 19 of Hell's Kitchen as Gordon Ramsay's sous-chef when the season debuted in January 2021, and has stayed for seasons 20, 21, and 22. He went by Jay in his earlier appearances on Hell's Kitchen but goes by Jason now.

Santos and his Buttermilk & Bourbon restaurants are known for their New Orleans-inspired food.

Career
Santos has been executive chef and owner of three Boston restaurants: Abby Lane (in the Boston Theater District), Citrus & Salt (Back Bay, Boston) and Buttermilk & Bourbon. He also owns B&B Fish (opened November 2020) in Marblehead, Massachusetts (now closed) and in 2021, announced that in July 2021, Santos and his partners would open a spot in Arsenal Yards, Watertown, Massachusetts. The Buttermilk & Bourbon location actually opened on August 5, 2021.

His restaurant Blue Inc. closed in September 2014.

Very early in his career, he worked for Andy Husbands at Tremont 647 where he spent six years before going on to become Executive Chef at Gargoyles on the Square in 2005. His "innovative cuisine transformed the restaurant from neighborhood stalwart to out-of-town dining destination." His food has been described as "Julia Child meets Willy Wonka".

Santos has taught culinary courses at both Boston University and Cambridge Rindge and Latin School.

Cookbooks
Buttermilk & Bourbon: New Orleans Recipes with a Modern Flair was published in March 2019. Simple Fancy: A Chef's Big-Flavor Recipes for Easy Weeknight Cooking, a cookbook for home cooks, was published in December 2022.

Personal life
Santos and his wife Thuy (née Le) are parents of a daughter, born in August 2022.

When he appeared on Season 7 of Hell's Kitchen, he lived in Medford, Massachusetts and worked as an executive chef at Gargoyles on the Square in Somerville, Massachusetts. He returned to Gargoyles at the end of the season.

Santos graduated from Newbury College. In 2021, it was reported Santos and his wife lived in Woburn, Massachusetts.