Jeremy Downey

A native of Bayou La Batre, Alabama, Jeremy Downey played on the University of Alabama’s 1992 National Championship Football Team—wearing his national championship ring with pride.

He graduated with a B.S. in English, with plans to teach literature. Yet his family’s love of cooking enticed him to pursue a cooking career instead.

After stints in San Francisco and Washington D. C.—at Vidalia—Downey came back to Alabama, where he worked for Frank Stitt at Bottega. Bistro V became Downey’s “gridiron” in 2010 when bought the restaurant.