By Darlene Brace
Julie Lampard, the former head chef at Forte in downtown Jamestown, has embarked on an exciting new journey with her innovative business, Taste Buds. With Taste Buds, she doesn’t just prepare food to be served, but she crafts unforgettable dining experiences as a private chef, creates exquisite boutique-style catering, and shares her passion for cooking through teaching engaging cooking classes. For those who recall her years at Forte, this new chapter promises to showcase her talents in creative ways.
Julie’s passion for food began in childhood, cooking with her mother and grandmothers. At 15, she started in the food industry, scooping ice cream at Chautauqua Institution. After graduating from high school, she attended Mercyhurst University, graduating in 2003 with a culinary science degree, which provided a strong foundation for her career.
After graduating from college, she worked for about five years as an assistant chef in local restaurants, including Olives and La Fleur in Mayville, as well as Ironstone in Jamestown. During this time, she collaborated with many talented professional chefs, which helped refine her skills. In 2007, she spent some time in Buffalo at Hutch’s. Hutch’s is a long-standing, highly rated fine dining restaurant, and she worked as a sous chef for about five years.
Eventually, she relocated back to the Jamestown and became the head chef at Forte in Jamestown. She spent a total of about seven years there, including years before and after the Covid pandemic. Many of the customers at Forte referred to her as “Julie from Forte.” She truly enjoyed her time there.
catering, from simple to elegant. Additionally, Julie can come to your home
and serve as your private chef, taking care of everything, including food preparation,
set up, and clean up. Another one of her passions is teaching cooking
classes. The classes can be conducted privately with individuals, small
groups, or in larger groups. Recently, she has teamed up with SOLT Café in
Jamestown, where she has offered several cooking classes.
When Forte closed their doors a couple of years ago, Julie decided to pursue a business of boutique-style catering that focuses on creating high-end, personalized, and creative culinary experiences for private events. This approach emphasizes unique menus, creative presentation, and a high level of service. She collaborates with clients to tailor the menus and themes to reflect their occasion and specific tastes.
While boutique-style catering is her specialty, Julie also handles all levels of catering, from simple to elegant. She has extensive experience in the area, having catered weddings, showers, parties, and other private events, and she has serviced many events at the Marvin House in Jamestown. She can bring the food to your house or any other local venue that you want.
Julie uses locally grown products as much as possible and grows some food herself. Everything she makes is home made from scratch including her pastas, breads, appetizers, sushi, and a large variety of main courses. She enjoys making desserts like cheesecakes, cakes, creme brulee, and more. She serves eclectic cuisine including cultural dishes. Julie also enjoys taking familiar simple foods, and prepares them in innovative and fun new ways, bringing a creative twist to simple dishes.
Additionally, Julie can come to your home and serve as your private chef, taking care of everything, including food preparation, set up, and clean up. If you’re hosting guests and don’t feel like cooking, she can alleviate some of the stress by providing delicious meals for your gathering. Just tell her what you would like, and she will come up with some menu options for you to choose from. Once you’ve selected a menu, she will handle everything. She and her assistant will even serve you and your guests. Julie will also prepare the meal and just drop it off if that’s what you prefer.