The people behind the table
Two chefs. One vision. A table worth gathering around.
Long before there was JAC Kitchen & Events, there was a kitchen at The 404 Kitchen in Nashville—and two chefs who happened to catch each other’s eye from across the room. Their shared rhythm became JAC Kitchen & Events: food worth remembering, and hospitality that lets the host be a guest, too.
The leap
A small kitchen. A bigger idea.
They loved the restaurant world, but they wanted more freedom, more creativity, and more connection with their guests. In the spring of 2023, they took a leap and built JAC.
The beginning was anything but glamorous: stacks of plastic containers, piles of dishes, grocery bags covering the kitchen table, and refrigerators that never seemed big enough. They started in a small house, squeezing in every new client they could while preparing meals and building the business from the ground up.
Then came two full-time private chef clients. Suddenly, John and Cassie were preparing breakfast, lunch, and dinner six days a week—and experiencing something they had not fully found in the restaurant world: complete creative freedom. That’s when they knew this was what they were supposed to be doing.
John Lasater
The kitchen is a place to keep learning.
John grew up in a family where food was at the center of everything. Both of his grandmothers were exceptional cooks, and his aunt owned a large catering company where John began working as a teenager. Family gatherings meant sitting around a table, breaking bread, and making sure the food was something worth gathering around.
John attended the French Culinary Institute in New York, interned with Saveur Magazine and Gramercy Tavern, and returned to Nashville in 2010. His career took him through The Hermitage Hotel and Flyte World Dining before helping open Porter Road Butcher.
In 2012, he helped create the recipes and signature spice blend that became part of the identity of Hattie B’s Hot Chicken. As executive chef, he helped grow the company to eight locations and a catering operation. Along the way came Eater Young Guns semifinalist and Forbes 30 Under 30 recognition in Food & Wine, as well as an invitation to cook at the James Beard House.
Food worth remembering.
Cassie Lasater
She cooks for the sound of a full table.
As the youngest in her family, Cassie grew up helping her mother prepare large family dinners and holiday feasts whenever her siblings came home. To Cassie, cooking was synonymous with family.
After studying marketing in college, Cassie realized the traditional office world was not where her passion lived. She changed direction and traveled to Madrid to study at Le Cordon Bleu. After two and a half years of culinary school and cooking jobs throughout Croatia, Spain, and Portugal, she returned to the United States to continue developing her French culinary skills.
Eventually, Cassie found her way to Nashville and The 404 Kitchen in 2019. She became executive chef in 2021, where she developed her leadership, creativity, and relentless work ethic. Her career brought nominations for Forbes 30 Under 30 and Rising Star Chef, as well as an invitation to cook for the renowned Naples Winter Wine Festival.
Cooking is synonymous with family.
The JAC promise
Hospitality that lets you be a guest, too.
The goal isn’t simply to serve great food. It’s to take the weight of the event off the person who invited everyone.
Menus are thoughtfully curated. Details are handled ahead of time. Problems are solved before they become problems. The host shouldn’t be wondering if the food is ready, whether guests have what they need, or what happens next. They should be sitting at the table enjoying the party.
John and Cassie seek out exceptional produce, quality meats, and the best ingredients they can find. They don’t believe good is good enough. They want food to be phenomenal: the kind people talk about after the plates are cleared, the kind that becomes part of the memory of the evening.
The future of JAC
You have to have JAC.
John and Cassie aren’t trying to become just another catering company. Their vision is to build one of Nashville’s premier chef-driven specialty event companies—one known for exceptional food, thoughtful service, and experiences that feel completely personal. Share the shape of your gathering and start the conversation.