Our History
The Early Years
Is Jeffrey A. Miller
a real person?
Yes! Jeffrey A. Miller Hospitality Group began over 40 years ago, when Jeffrey Alan Miller, then a student at UPenn, started a “brunch-in-bed” service out of his college dorm room. That idea turned out to be quite short-lived, but it caught the eye of UPenn president Sheldon Hackney, who began hiring Jeff to cater official events on and around the UPenn campus.
Having discovered a passion for great food, Jeff used his summers to work in the best kitchens he could find, in New York, London, and the south of France. The creativity in presentation, emphasis on freshness, and attention to detail that made these restaurants great inspired him to replace outdated, cookie-cutter banquet food with more vibrant culinary offerings, rich in flavors from around the world and served with a spirit of warm hospitality that puts people first.
The name Jeffrey A. Miller Catering (or “JAM” for short) became official around 1982, and within a few years the fledgling company began catering larger, more elaborate events, both at UPenn and elsewhere. That meant more staff, a new commissary kitchen, and finding a few investors to help the company grow even more.
Having discovered a passion for great food, Jeff used his summers to work in the best kitchens he could find, in New York, London, and the south of France. The creativity in presentation, emphasis on freshness, and attention to detail that made these restaurants great inspired him to replace outdated, cookie-cutter banquet food with more vibrant culinary offerings, rich in flavors from around the world and served with a spirit of warm hospitality that puts people first.
The name Jeffrey A. Miller Catering (or “JAM” for short) became official around 1982, and within a few years the fledgling company began catering larger, more elaborate events, both at UPenn and elsewhere. That meant more staff, a new commissary kitchen, and finding a few investors to help the company grow even more.
PHOTO BY The Daily Pennsylvanian
PHOTO BY The Daily Pennsylvanian
PHOTO BY Dave Just Productions
Catering Partnerships
Mission-Driven Venues
An important turning point came when JAM created a partnership with the non-profit Heritage Conservancy in Doylestown, PA to be the exclusive caterer for weddings and other events at its historic Aldie Mansion property. From this partnership a new JAM business model emerged, namely involving investing in distinctive properties to outfit them as event spaces that can generate both catering revenue for JAM and additional operating revenue for the venue owner. It was a true win-win relationship, and it set the pattern for building many more similar relationships with other organizations and properties in the decades that followed.
PHOTO BY Fox and Film Photography
PHOTO BY Burkett Photography
JAM Today
From Caterer to Hospitality Group
These venue-caterer relationships, combined with a deep commitment to great food and heartfelt hospitality, helped JAM grow into the thriving hospitality group it is today. Besides catering at our current sixteen exclusive partner venues, we also cater events at client venues, operate inflight dining and pop-up café businesses, and manage floral services, equipment rental, and an event professional concierge service.
The "JAMily" (as we call our ever-growing team) has expanded to include hundreds of staff including event designers, chefs, venue managers, operations staff, waitstaff, and admin folks, whose collective efforts all contribute to the ongoing mission of blending innovative cuisine and extraordinary hospitality in distinctive, unforgettable settings.
Jeff himself still spends a good part of every single day pushing the buttons and pulling the levers that run the company. That, of course, is his laptop-and-phone “day job.” But you’re also likely to see him at any given JAM event—on the dining room floor, shucking oysters at the raw bar, or baking pretzels in the kitchen—not because he needs to, but because he loves food, loves hospitality, and loves a great party!
The "JAMily" (as we call our ever-growing team) has expanded to include hundreds of staff including event designers, chefs, venue managers, operations staff, waitstaff, and admin folks, whose collective efforts all contribute to the ongoing mission of blending innovative cuisine and extraordinary hospitality in distinctive, unforgettable settings.
Jeff himself still spends a good part of every single day pushing the buttons and pulling the levers that run the company. That, of course, is his laptop-and-phone “day job.” But you’re also likely to see him at any given JAM event—on the dining room floor, shucking oysters at the raw bar, or baking pretzels in the kitchen—not because he needs to, but because he loves food, loves hospitality, and loves a great party!
PHOTO BY Kelsey Renee Photography
