Since taking over the iconic Saddle River Inn in 2013, Jamie Knott, 43, who calls himself “just a Nutley boy,” has become one of the top restaurateurs in the Garden State.
His dining spots include the romantic French bistro Madame and the cheeky Cellar 335, a tiki bar and restaurant, both in Jersey City; Kinjo in Newark; and the Saddle River Café. They have quickly become some of the most celebrated restaurants in the state, with Saddle River Inn, Madame and Kinjo making New Jersey Monthly‘s list of the best restaurants in New Jersey this year.
Knott starting cooking at the age of 16 and quickly rose up the ranks at some of the toniest dining establishments in New York City, including Artisanal and BLT.
A clotheshorse who collects wedding bands and wristwatches (“I won best dressed in junior high,” he says), Knott is dapper and is fond of wearing designer clothing.
But life for Knott hasn’t always been easy. He overcame years of alcoholism after multiple stints in rehab, with the help of his wife, Crista, a fellow Nutley High alum.
Knott’s lively Kinjo in downtown Newark serves Japanese fusion cuisine. Photo: Christopher Lane
After completing an inpatient program in 2003 and becoming sober at the age of 25, he connected with fellow Nutley High School graduate Ryan DePersio and helped him open the popular restaurant Fascino in Montclair.
“It was great—it was just the two of us in the kitchen when we first opened. We listened to hip-hop every day and sweated in the 120-degree heat. You know, just a couple of Nutley boys,” says Knott. “I was with Ryan when we got the excellent New York Times review. It was a good time.”
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After Fascino, Knott returned to New York City for a time, working at more high-end restaurants, including Saluté and China Grill, where he learned to love Asian flavors.
But he was ambitious and knew that what he really wanted was to open his own restaurant.
“It was my childhood dream—it was everything to me,” says Knott, who still lives in Nutley with his wife and two children. “My passion is for all things delicious. I want to redefine the culinary landscape in this state through my cooking and my restaurants.”
When he took over the iconic Saddle River Inn, a traditional fine-dining restaurant in an upscale Bergen County town, he immediately began to modernize the place, updating the menu (“We kept the Maribar steak, which was probably 80 percent of the sales”), and getting rid of all the fake flowers and heavy drapery.
“I was there every day from 10 am to midnight. I cut every piece of meat and fish and made every sauce,” he remembers. He was married with two young children at the time, so even with his busy schedule, he made sure to have time with his family as well.
Now that he has five restaurants, he’s starting to expand his repertoire, becoming a mentor as well as a chef—giving young, up-and-coming cooks opportunities to make names for themselves at his restaurants.
“My goal is to make delicious food and to give people opportunities,” he says.
From top: the mushroom miso ramen and shin Ramen fried rice at Kinjo. Photo: Christopher Lane
At Madame, the upscale French bistro that replaced Madame Claude Bis in 2023, he recently hired Sadie Alberti as his new chef de cuisine (Knott is the owner and executive chef of Madame and his other restaurants). She came from the well-regarded restaurant South + Pine in Morristown.
Late last year, Knott opened Kinjo, a lively Japanese fusion restaurant in downtown Newark that has quickly became one of the hippest spots in the city. At press time, he was interviewing to find a new chef for Kinjo.
And he’s not done yet. Knott says he recently signed a lease for a new restaurant in Franklin Lakes—where he has always wanted to live. He is taking over the space that housed the Golden Dynasty Chinese restaurant for 23 years and plans to open a high-end American bar and grill—some thing between the Polo Bar and Houston’s—in 20 months or so.
Knott designed Kinjo to be a place where people could relax with a cocktail, have food and unwind. Photo: Christopher Lane
What does he think of the vibrant dining scene in New Jersey?
“It’s exciting. The Michelin (guide) people should make their way over here soon,” he says.“We’re on a mission to raise the bar in New Jersey, and our goal is to set new standards that will wow and delight everyone who walks through our doors, one restaurant at a time.”
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