CIA Alumni Bio
Scott Jones always had two passions—writing and food. To develop himself as a writer, he earned a degree in magazine publishing and journalism from the University of Mississippi. To gain the knowledge and expertise he would need to write about his second passion, he enrolled at The Culinary Institute of America, from which he graduated with honors. And it was in his CIA Wine Studies class that he developed his lifelong love affair with wine. Ultimately, he poured his knowledge and expertise into authoring the Southern Living Wine Guide and Journal.
A Helping Hand
Scott received scholarship awards from the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) and The James Beard Foundation that provided both financial support and a vote of confidence as he pursued his culinary degree. Thankful for the help he received while studying at the CIA, Scott passes along his expertise and enthusiasm to students at Culinard, a culinary college in his hometown of Birmingham, AL, where he regularly gives talks and seminars to aspiring young culinarians.
He served as the executive food editor of Time, Inc.’s Southern Living and a member of the Lifestyle Division’s magazine prototyping and development team from 1999 to 2010 and helped create the book 1001 Ways to Cook Southern. Scott is a member of the Southern Foodways Alliance, a judge for the James Beard Foundation Awards, and works with Costco Warehouse as a wine specialist.
Culinary Media Company
Scott is the owner of JONES IS THIRSTY, a culinary media company focused on custom culinary content, TV production, brand representation, and culinary education with clients ranging from The Westin Birmingham, Williams-Sonoma, The Shrimp Council, and Morgan Stanley. Scott also serves as the head of content at eMeals.com and manages a diverse team of food professionals and registered dietitians who bring an array of media experience in writing, recipe development, food styling, and nutrition.
Scott has been featured on dozens of television shows, from Cooking With Paula Deen to Food Network Challenge. He lives in Birmingham, AL with his family and is an avid runner on a personal quest to qualify for the Boston Marathon.
Chef Scott Jones majored in culinary arts at The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY. He is a food writer and president of the culinary media company JONES IS THIRSTY and head of content at eMeals.com.