Southern Roots, Japanese Technique: Inside Chef Ashley Jackson’s Johin’na
Catfish in sushi? You bet! Meet Chef Ashley Jackson, the Birmingham native putting a Southern spin on Japanese cuisine at Johin'na. Image: Ashley Jackson
Ashley Jackson’s mom raised her to have a diverse palate — and it paid off! Today, the Birmingham native brings a one-of-a-kind Japanese dining experience to The Magic City as the executive chef of Johin’na. We sat down with Chef Ashley to learn where her love of cooking began, where she finds inspiration, and how her multicultural upbringing continues to influence her culinary creativity.
Tell us about your childhood. Where did your love of cooking begin?
I was drawn to food before I even really understood what cooking was. When other kids were watching Sesame Street, I wanted to watch the Food Network. I remember running around the house shouting Emeril Lagasse’s famous “Bam!” I was completely fascinated by cooking from an early age.
My grandmother, Deborah Noble, was a huge inspiration in my food journey. Some of my earliest connections to food came through her, and those memories have stayed with me throughout my career.
My mom (and the owner of Johin’na), Shun Love, also played a huge role in shaping my palate. She exposed me to foods and cultures outside of what I might otherwise have experienced growing up in Birmingham. Asian and Indian cuisines, especially, were introduced to me early, and I think that helped create the curiosity I still have today. I wanted to taste everything and understand different spices, ingredients, flavors, and techniques.
Looking back, it makes complete sense that I became a chef. Food has been one of the most consistent threads throughout my entire life.
What are the most important lessons you’ve learned along the way to becoming an executive chef?
My career really started from the bottom, and I’m grateful for that. I went to Le Cordon Bleu in California and worked my way through professional kitchens, starting in prep and eventually moving into sous chef, chef de cuisine, consulting, menu development, and executive chef positions.
I’ve had the opportunity to work in kitchens including MB Post, Soho House West Hollywood, Serafina Sunset, and The Guild LA, and I’ve been fortunate to cook for some incredible people along the way.
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that being an executive chef is about so much more than being able to cook. You have to understand people. You have to know how to lead, teach, manage costs, develop talent, maintain consistency, and make difficult decisions.
I’ve also learned to stay curious and not become too attached to my own ideas. Sometimes the dish you’re convinced everyone will love doesn’t connect with guests, while something you take a chance on becomes a signature. You have to listen, evolve, and keep learning.
How is Johin’na a reflection of you, and what inspired its creation?
Johin’na is the clearest expression of who I am as a chef. I’m from Birmingham, but my career and life have taken me to California, England, Bali, and many other places around the world. Travel has had a huge influence on the way I understand food and the way I cook.
At Johin’na, Japanese ingredients and techniques meet my Southern roots and the influences I’ve picked up through travel and life. But I never want to create fusion simply for the sake of being different. The flavors still have to make sense together.
The Birmingham Roll is one of my favorite examples. Catfish isn’t something you typically expect to see in sushi, but Birmingham embraced it, and it became our highest-selling roll. I love that because it represents Johin’na so well: unexpected, but still unmistakably connected to Birmingham.
In a lot of ways, Johin’na is my life on a plate.
What has it been like working with your family to bring this dream to life?
Working with family is interesting, especially working with my mom! She definitely pushes me. But I think that’s also part of what makes Johin’na special. When you’re creating something with people who know you beyond your professional title, they’re going to challenge you differently. There’s a level of honesty there that you don’t always get in a traditional working relationship.
Johin’na’s success has taken all of us and our contributions. Everyone brings a different strength and perspective, and we’ve had to learn how to trust each other in those roles. It’s incredibly rewarding to look around the restaurant and realize that something we talked about and imagined together is now real, and that Birmingham has embraced it.
What inspires you most in the kitchen?
What inspires me most is being able to take something I’ve dreamed up in my head, bring it to the plate, taste it, and genuinely be happy with what I’ve created.
There’s a moment when you’ve been thinking about a combination of flavors or an idea for a dish, and then you finally taste it, and it works exactly the way you imagined, or sometimes even better. I never get tired of that feeling.
That’s probably why I’m constantly creating. There’s always another ingredient, technique, or idea I want to explore, and Johin’na’s unique Southern-Japanese menu gives me a lot to explore with!
The restaurant is truly unique. What inspired its interior look and feel?
The interior was really the vision of my mom and my childhood best friend, Shane Harper. They were both inspired by the idea of bringing something to Birmingham that felt like the type of space you might expect to walk into in Los Angeles: sophisticated, elevated, and unexpected.
Johin’na means “posh and elegant” in Japanese, and that was always the goal for the space. They wanted guests to feel that sense of elegance from the moment they walked through the doors, while still creating an atmosphere that felt inviting.
My mom and Shane worked together to bring that vision to life, from the overall aesthetic and atmosphere down to the details throughout the restaurant. They wanted to introduce something visually different to Birmingham while still creating a space that felt at home in the city.
What is your favorite dish to prepare?
This answer might surprise people because I’m known for Japanese-Southern food, but I absolutely love preparing an English roast. There’s something about the tradition and comfort of a proper roast that I love.
I’m also happiest making almost any type of ceviche or carpaccio. I love raw preparations because there’s nowhere for the ingredients to hide. Freshness, acidity, texture, and balance all matter.
And tacos. I could make and eat tacos forever!
What is the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
“Always be a student.”
It’s something I teach not only in my kitchen but also to my children, and I try to lead by example every single day. No matter how successful you become or how much experience you have, there is always something new to learn.
I’d rather have someone in my kitchen who knows nothing but is eager to learn than someone who thinks they know it all. I love teaching, but I love learning just as much. I want my children and my team to stay curious, embrace different cultures, ask questions, make mistakes, and never stop growing.
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Erin Slay Wilson
Erin Slay Wilson is the Market Leader for StyleBlueprint Birmingham. She lives in the Crestwood neighborhood with her family and their golden retriever, Butter. When Erin isn't writing and building relationships within the community, she loves to read, go on walks around the city, garden, and scope out treasures at local antique malls.
