Downtown’s Best Kept Secret No Longer-

Jonathan Clemons has been a chef for over nine years. He graduated from Western Culinary Institute (Portland, OR), completed his cooking internship at Robbers Roost Steak and Seafood restaurant (Foresthill, CA); and then would continue his culinary career at fine-dining restaurants throughout the state of Oregon and Northern California. While mastering his already naturally skilled cooking abilities at various upscale restaurants, he would eventually come to the conclusion that his creative cooking talents and abilities were being suffocated by what many of these restaurants would call “presentation standards.”

At about the same time Chef Clemons was looking for a change, so was a downtown mainstay located on 1500 K Street in Sacramento - better known as Capitol Garage restaurant. In business at this point for well over 12 years, Capitol Garage restaurant owners, Jerry Mitchell and John Lopez, were ready to make a flavor and variety injection into the restaurant’s kitchen. As if destiny, the owners of Capitol Garage would eventually meet and hire this young chef from Oregon, Jonathan Clemons, as their new Executive Chef. Over the next two years, Chef Clemons would prove to be just the injection that Capitol Garage’s kitchen needed.

Jonathan Clemons has enjoyed his role as Executive Chef of Capitol Garage. With his favorite music pumping loud in the background, he creates appetizing dishes that infuse his inventive cooking skills into the daily menu. This would prove to not only be an opportunity for a young, talented chef to demonstrate to downtown-Sacramento that people can get great food for reasonable prices; but it would also ignite the populous downtown customers into patronizing Capitol Garage restaurant in the masses morning, noon, night; all to get a taste of what was once the best kept secret in downtown Sacramento – Capitol Garage's Executive Chef - Mr. Jonathan Clemons.

The owners of Capitol Garage take pride in the fact that Capitol Garage’s kitchen has been in excellent hands at the direction and leadership of Chef Clemons. He continues to keep Capitol Garage’s customers coming back regularly because he consistently develops inimitable flavorful food. Some contribute the ever-growing loyal customer base to Chef Clemons’ amazing abilities to turn a common dish into a unique tasting experience using creative recipe enhancements. While others would swear it is the Capitol Garage restaurant’s dessert case that Chef Clemons fills daily with house made desserts. Then again, there is always the ever popular Capitol Garage “Sunday Champagne Brunch” menu; since the introduction of Chef Clemons’ brunch menu, Capitol Garage continues to see growth in its already busy Sunday brunch crowd. As a result of the ever-growing interest from Capitol Garage patrons in the many distinctive tastes of Chef Clemons’ dishes, he will release a Capitol Garage Cookbook in 2008.

In October, Chef Clemons will once again be charged with giving Capitol Garage’s kitchen another flavor injection. He has created a special dinner menu for the newly introduced, monthly wine pairing nights. Chef Clemons says he looks forward to the opportunity to continue to use his “fine-dining” cooking abilities to create flavorful delights that will go alongside Ste. Michelle, the new wine selection at Capitol Garage; and based on past experience, so do the ever growing loyal customer base of Capitol Garage restaurant!