Brampton cook Chef Jay turns life around, goes viral with oxtail grilled cheese

Jayden Bailey, known online as Chef Jay, turned his life around by focusing on cooking while on house arrest nine years ago. What started as a way to keep busy became a full-time passion that has now brought him recognition across the GTA and beyond.

"I always loved to cook, and it's always been a passion of mine. But I never took it really seriously until I got into the situation of me being on house arrest," Bailey said. "I found that fire, that passion within cooking, and I just wanted to continue with it." His mother, who taught him to cook years ago, was his biggest support through his life struggles and his cooking journey during his time on house arrest.

Nine years ago, Bailey launched Entree's by Jay, specializing in Caribbean fusion comfort food. He stopped doing the nightlife and went into cooking full-time. "When I made that turn to stop doing the nightlife and go back into cooking full-time, that's when I realized that this is what I'm really meant to do," Bailey said. The menu includes his signature oxtail grilled cheese sandwich, jerk chicken poutine, mac and cheese jerk chicken pie, and sweet rum plantain. He offers catering, meal prep, to-go plates, and event requests.

Recently, Facebook Marketplace food reviewer Yoyo, under the Instagram handle @yoyoyummyyy, tasted Chef Jay's oxtail grilled cheese sandwich and posted a review that received over 10,000 likes. The response has been overwhelming. "I'm overwhelmed right now. Ever since he posted that review, it's really been like every single person almost, within the GTA, just messaging me," Bailey said. Support has come from as far as Australia and Africa.

"What keeps me going is serving people, seeing people happy when they eat my food, especially with the review," he said. "It really warms my heart to know that I can make people feel good when they try my food." Bailey plans to open his own ghost kitchen and eventually lean into private cooking around the world.

He encourages others facing their own struggles to persist: "Keep showing up for yourself. There's gonna be a time where you really want to change, and you just have to progress and press forward and push that you want to change, and that change will come as long as you don't give up on yourself." Those interested can order from Chef Jay on Instagram.