Isenberg HTM Alum Gives Back Through Nonprofit Work and Keto Cookbook

After wildfires ravaged Lahaina, HI, in August 2023, many people might have expected Jason Raffin ’11 to focus first on rebuilding his own life. After all, both his house and his brand-new restaurant, just a couple weeks away from opening, burned down in the blazes. Making matters worse, his restaurant didn’t yet have insurance, leaving him with no way to recoup the money that he had put into its opening. But instead, even with all of the personal adversity he was facing, Jason looked outward. He quickly sprung into action, engaging in fundraising and partnering with a local farm and a team of volunteers to organize a large-scale effort to feed fire survivors

Over the next year, he and his team cooked more than 50,000 meals for people who were displaced or otherwise affected by the fires. “I didn’t have two feet to stand on,” said Raffin. “But my only priority was getting people well and fed.” Raffin never expected to be doing this scale of nonprofit work. “I didn’t even foresee being in Maui at all,” he said. “But whenever I’m in the rare situation that I’m the most qualified person to jump and lead, I feel like it’s my duty to do it.”

Early Beginnings

Raffin started his culinary journey at age 14, working as a dishwasher in a restaurant. Although he grew up in California, when it came time to tour colleges, he immediately felt connected to UMass and ended up enrolling in Isenberg’s hospitality and tourism management program. He worked at the iconic downtown Amherst restaurant Judie’s as a line cook throughout much of his time as an undergraduate and built a special bond with Isenberg Lecturer William Foley. “He took a special interest in me and believed in my potential and what I was looking to do,” said Raffin. “He was a big influence on me.”

Foley takes pride in being part of Raffin’s journey. “I am so proud of Jason and what he has accomplished,” he said. “It’s truly inspiring to see him using his talents to make a real impact, and he makes all of us in the hospitality and tourism management department proud!”

Raffin also credits Isenberg for influencing him in ways not directly connected to the culinary world. “Cooking is really only 10 percent of being a chef,” he said. “It’s being a leader, having a voice, being a philosopher. Isenberg gave me that backbone and taught me so much about everything other than cooking, which is what’s really important.”

After completing his undergraduate education in 2011, Raffin returned to California, first receiving his associate’s degree in culinary arts from the Culinary Institute of America before beginning to work full-time at various restaurants in the Bay Area. He worked his way up the ladder, serving as executive chef and helping to open several establishments, but his big break came when he took over as chef de cuisine for Comstock Saloon in San Francisco, landing him awards from several publications.

Giving Back

After a few more years, though, Raffin felt his time in San Francisco had run its course and decided to gain some experience in Hawaii, where he intended to live temporarily—but the COVID pandemic hit while he was there, leaving him stuck. This extended time led him to his first brush with organizing nonprofit charity and relief efforts.

“After working in a couple restaurants in Hawaii, I decided to give back for my 30th birthday,” Raffin explained. “I did something called 30 for 30 where I created 30 new dishes on my birthday and live-streamed it and raised about $20,000.” In order make the best use of the funds, he created the Chef Collective for COVID. Raffin partnered with local farms and furloughed chefs on the island to create multi-course tasting menus to serve to the kupuna, or the elders of the community, helping to keep them healthy and fed through the worst of the pandemic.

When disaster struck again with the 2023 Lahaina fires, Raffin didn’t miss a beat. In addition to helping feed survivors, he worked with organizations like Hungry Heroes Hawaii on efforts to build back and sustain local farms and communities.

A New Venture

Now, with the Lahaina community beginning to rebuild, Raffin is giving back in a different way. A few years ago, in pursuit of a healthier lifestyle, he adopted a keto diet. Though he was initially skeptical, he says it ended up changing his life, helping him to lose weight and feel healthier than he had in the past. Early in his keto journey, one roadblock was finding recipes that fit the diet but were still up to his culinary standards. “It seemed like the blind leading the blind,” he said. “There were really very few delicious, smart, educational resources for keto recipes.”

As he continued to experiment with recipes and document what he was doing, he realized that he’d unintentionally stumbled upon a niche that he could fill: a keto cookbook that would live up to fine dining standards. “I was just kind of playing with different techniques and utilizing skills that I’ve learned throughout the years, and I think I ended up with something really interesting and fun. If I didn’t believe in it, I wouldn’t have written the book. I wanted to provide inspiration for people.” Raffin’s book, Keto Like a Chef, is available now.

Learn more about Jason Raffin here, and check out his book here.