Jamie Bissonnette and Darren Brass have a deep rooted friendship that dates back some 30 years. Both native New Englanders and lovers of food, art, culture, and of course coffee—their collaboration was brewing long before they even knew it! The two friends both left the New England cold for sunny South Florida and would go onto find great success in their respective fields.
Jamie would go onto win a James Beard award and become one of the most revered restaurateurs and chefs in the country. Darren would also find equal success in various art driven and design projects such as a fashion line for kids (ruthless and toothless) and eventually make his way onto the critically acclaimed television series, Miami Ink.
One day, back in New England, Darren would be tattooing a young man named Allen. Darren and Allen began chatting and realized they had a common acquaintance in their favorite chef, Jamie Bissonnette! Allen’s career, it turned out, was on the importation of a variety of food and beverage products. One of those items being unique coffees from all over the world. Darren being a lover of coffee immediately jumped into questions about roasting, blending, and of course design and packaging. It did not take long before Darren was hooked on Winchell Mountain Coffee and the passion that only a small New England roaster can exude. Darren called Jamie, the two met to discuss the collaboration and almost as organically as their friendship formed 30 years ago, Shinchu coffee came to life. We are extremely proud of this line of coffee both inside and outside of the bag. We hope you enjoy our passion as much as we enjoy bringing it to you.
Darren Brass
Throughout the 80’s, from New York to Boston, he covered anything he could with his gritty and colorful style of art, gaining a reputation on the streets as a budding artist. In 1992, Darren was introduced to the art of tattooing. As soon as he became completely enamored by the concept of the human body as a canvas, he set out on a journey to become a tattoo artist. In 1994, the journey landed him in South Beach Miami, home of the legendary shop “Tattoos by Lou”. Here he was mentored by the infamous tattoo artist Lou Sciberra.
Over the years, Darren drew inspiration from many things, with his punk rock lifestyle and years of graffiti art helping him gain a unique perspective and a very personal insight. Additionally, his command of traditional American tattoos along with his love of the history of Japanese art has further developed Darren into one of today’s most talented and versatile tattoo artists.
Jamie
Jamie Bissonnette is a chef and founding partner of Boston-based hospitality group, BCB3. Jamie’s interest in cooking started when he was young, and it was in watching the greats like Julia Child and Jacques Pepin on cooking shows where he was inspired to get creative in the kitchen and really play around with recipes. His dedication to his craft and a desire to make every recipe his own soon brought him to Florida, where he studied culinary arts at The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale.
Jamie was made a partner at Toro in 2007, and was the opening chef and partner of Coppa, Little Donkey, and Faccia e Faccia, all of which have become staples in Boston’s vibrant restaurant scene. His work has been celebrated throughout his career, winning Food & Wine’s inaugural People’s Choice: Best New Chef award in 2011 and the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Northeast in 2014, as well as appearing on Chopped and America’s Test Kitchen: The Next Generation, battling on Iron Chef America, and serving as a judge on both Worst Cooks in America and Beat Bobby Flay. However, some of Jamie’s favorite moments of his career were being able to cook for Julia Child and Jacques Pepin, the chefs that first inspired him.
When not spending time in the kitchen, Jamie puts his passion into music, whether playing bass, collecting records, or spending time getting nerdy and updating turntables for the best sound quality possible. In fact, he notes the undeniable synergies between cooking and music—it was actually his love of punk and hardcore music that turned him onto vegetarian and vegan cooking as a teenager—equating recipes to songs: just because someone else wrote it doesn’t mean you can’t play it your way.
Jamie’s obsession with music is on full display at BCB3’s new listening bar, Temple Records, in which he built the analog system, as well as supplied the vast majority of the vinyl that is played each night. He also serves as the chef of 소맥 (Somaek), a welcoming, intimate Korean restaurant, and Sushi @ Temple Records, the subterranean sushi den underneath Temple Records. No matter the concept, Jamie and the BCB3 team will treat diners like a guest in their own homes, removing the structure and ceremony of going to a meal and instead finding a way to break the rules in a way that works—both in the kitchen and as a host.
Outside of BCB3, Jamie partnered with long-time friend and artist Darren Brass as well as Winchell Mountain Coffee, like Voltron, to create their most awesome passion project: Shinchu Coffees. Jamie also sits on the culinary board of Spoonfuls, a Boston-based food recovery operation that is the largest of its kind in New England. Jamie lives in the South End of Boston with his wife, Song, and their dogs, Ozzy and Steven.
