Jill Vedaa

Chef Jill Vedaa started out as an art student who fell in love with the pace and grit of the restaurant industry. She bypassed formal culinary training and learned from some of Cleveland's best chefs, including Karen Small and Michael Symon, spending 20 years in kitchens such as Bohemia, Keka, Lola, Flying Fig, Rockefeller's and Black Pig. Her cooking elevates simple ingredients into thoughtful compositions of texture, color and globally inspired flavor.

In July 2016 she opened her own small-plates restaurant, Salt, in Lakewood, and in 2023 she and Jessica Parkison opened a second restaurant, Poppy, on Larchmere Boulevard. Salt closed in August 2024 after eight years. Cleveland Magazine has ranked her among the city's top chefs, and the James Beard Foundation named her a semifinalist for Best Chef: Great Lakes in 2018, 2019 and 2022.

In December 2025 she joined Will Hollingsworth's Buildings and Food Hospitality Group as vice president of culinary operations, and in 2026 she created a new menu for Prosperity Social Club in Tremont.