French, Caribbean, Latin cuisine: Take your pick from The Island Grill

By Jeaneane Payne

One of Knoxville's newest flavored and favored cuisines is The Island Grill. Choose from French, Caribbean, or Latin cuisine prepared by private Chef Justin Deuso.

Deuso has traveled the East Coast cooking for landmark hotel restaurants such as The Bernards Inn in New Jersey and the Ritz Carlton in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands.

Chef Deuso has been cooking since he was 12 years old and graduated from the New England Culinary Institute in 1999, earning an associates degree in culinary arts.

"I have spent over 20 years of my life in all areas of the hotel and restaurant business," said Deuso. "I am classic French trained but have picked up Caribbean/Latin cuisine. I moved myself and my family to Tennessee for the Executive Chef position at Club LeConte. Upon arrival they reneged the previously offered position."

Deuso has been a private chef since 1998. He has been featured in trade magazines and in a few commercials and has cooked for several celebrities. His experience is from family style to fine dining.

"I have served anywhere from two to 7600 people," he said. "I have recently expanded my business opening the area's finest mobile kitchen -- Chef Deuso's Island Grill."

The Island Grill is a brand new state of the art, all stainless kitchen. It is better equipped then most local restaurants and is a lot cleaner. The Grill recently scored a 100 on the health inspection. Deuso is licensed, permitted, and insured. The Island Grill serves primarily authentic Caribbean cuisine. Chef Deuso can serve breakfast, lunch or dinner.

"One of the cool things about going mobile is my lunch service where I go to local businesses for lunch and park in their lot to serve their employees with fresh made-from-scratch meals. This benefits their employees because they will not have to drive anywhere for lunch, saving time and money." The Island Grill can be seen at various businesses, festivals, events. You can follow Chef Deuso on Twitter, http://twitter.com/chefdeuso to find out the location for the day.

Private chef serves are, but not limited to, romantic couples dinners, office parties, holiday feasts, cooking lessons, baked goods, personal chef meals for your family, restaurant consultation work, gourmet tailgates, and any other excuse for you to not cook and have a professional do it for you. Chef Deuso does all the shopping, cooking, and leaves your kitchen cleaner than when he arrived.

"I feel like I'm the Tim Tebow of the Chef's world in that my whole career I've been told I couldn't. It has been with passion and persistence that I have, year after year, proved people wrong. Also, like Tebow, I am an expert in my field who is personally fueled to persevere by the negativity of others. I do the best I possibly can every day. My goal is 100 percent guest satisfaction. I provide some of the best cuisine and services this area has seen."

Chef Deuso is also an Eagle Scout.

For more information on The Island Grill, visit www.privatechefjustindeuso.com.

Published March 9, 2012