Executive Chef and Restaurateur Jim Stump, a native of Utah, has been working in the food service business since he was fifteen. Stump has worked at some of the Bay Area's most acclaimed venues including San Francisco's Fleur de Lys and the Blue Fox, Santa Clara's Birk's Restaurant, Saratoga's Le Mouton Noir, and the Los Gatos Brewing Company.
After moving to California in 1980, Stump attended the California Culinary Academy and graduated with "Outstanding Merit". In 1987 he became chef's assistant to Hubert Keller at San Francisco's Fleur de Lys restaurant, and soon thereafter was hired as Saucier at San Francisco's famed Blue Fox. In 1989 Stump moved to the Santa Clara Valley to join Don Durante at Birk's Restaurant as Sous Chef. He then was promoted to Executive Chef, helping to more than double Birk's business while establishing its reputation as one of Silicon Valley's best steakhouses. In 1991 he joined Le Mouton Noir in Saratoga as Executive Chef, earning the restaurant the DIRONA Award, which placed Le Mouton Noir among the top 300 restaurants in the United States, Stump subsequently received the coveted 4 star rating from the San Jose Mercury News.
In 1992 Stump joined Andy Pavicich, Jr. in opening the highly successful Los Gatos Brewing Company. In 1997, they capitalized on their success and developed and opened A.P. Stump's, a 15,000 sq. ft. American chop house restaurant. Jim has received two 4 star reviews in the San Jose Mercury News for his efforts.
In July 2012, amidst heavy anticipation, Stump The Table, a 60-seat, urban neighborhood eatery focused on seasonal ingredients, hand-crafted cocktails and progressive wines. "I wanted to get back to the basics of great cooking," Stump explains, "I wanted to be more in touch with the ingredients and return to what excited me about food."
In November 2014, The Table added a lounge and patio to the existing structure. The Table has become the dining institution for Willow Glen and a dining destination for all of Silicon Valley.
In 2016, Stump opened two full service restaurants with-in six weeks of one another. The Vesper opened in early March 2016 in downtown Campbell. The Vesper is a modern craft cocktail restaurant with over 33 house cocktails on the menu. Forthright Oyster Bar and Kitchen opened in May 2016 in West Campbell. When you enter Forthright you see a beautiful oyster bar filled with over 14 varieties of different oysters. Forthright is a seafood centric concept. The beautiful décor does not minimize the neighborhood atmosphere and quality ingredients.
Including his work in the kitchen, Stump is involved in numerous charities, including VIA and Catholic Charities. He also has served on the board for the March of Dimes' Silicon Valley Chapter and is the founder of its "Celebrity Chefs & Master Vintner's" gala. He was the Vice President of the Willow Glen Business Association.
Stump currently resides in San Jose. He enjoys biking, golf, gardening, and the ocean when he is not in the kitchen.
Angelique Shepherd-Stump is the general partner and operations manager for The Hot Behind You Hospitality Management Group.
Angelique was born and raised in San Francisco, California. Her first love was dance and her second was hospitality. Angelique studied at the prestigious Alvin Ailey Dance Theater in New York. She was a professional dancer for seven years. To support herself, Angelique always had a restaurant gig.
Angelique began her restaurant career in hospitality at the age 14 at a restaurant called TOON's at Serramonte mall. She moved to Sacramento to be closer with her family. She got a job as a busser at the trendy River City Brewing Company. She worked for three years with Paraguary Restaurant Group. In 1997 Angelique moved to San Jose.
She applied to the Los Gatos Brewing Company in 1998. She became lead host in under a year and worked there until she moved to New York City in 2001. Angelique worked in both causal and fine dining in Manhattan. She was a lead host at PAZO, a Patricia Yeo concept. At Pazo she met Robert Banat, who had recently left a Danny Meyer concept, and was introduced to the "Enlightened Hospitality" philosophy. This philosophy views people not as customers but as guests. After being in the industry for over a decade Angelique was learning a new way to work in hospitality.
For many years Angelique pursued her dance career. In 2006, she opened a dance studio in Menlo Park called Danceworks. In 2009, she decided to close the studio and go back to school . She earned her paralegal certificate. From 2010-2012 she worked as lead paralegal for general counsel for Serrano Group. During this time her partner in life and in business, Jim Stump, was carefully crafting his next restaurant concept named The Table. Jim proposed the idea that Angelique come to work for him as a bookkeeper in 2012. Angelique agreed.
Since 2012, Angelique has been a "Jill of all trades". She does it all. She runs the Human Resources Department for five concepts, floor manages, handles the accounting, and all general operations concerns.
Her hobbies include gardening and dance.
casual California gastropub
