Jay joined the restaurant industry at age fourteen in Denver, Colorado. His culinary career quickly took shape while in Boulder, Colorado’s restaurant scene, where he earned his chops at the iconic Flagstaff House.
Finding his passion and discovering his entrepreneurial spirit, Chef Spickelmier was at the helm of the kitchen early in his career. In 2001, he relocated to the Vail Valley, where he quickly gravitated to top restaurants & hotels, including the Vail Cascade Resort & Spa, The Left Bank Restaurant, Sonnenalp Hotel, and Osakis. In 2006 Jay assisted in grand opening Spago Beaver Creek at The Ritz Carlton Bachelor Gulch. In 2009 Jay left the Vail Valley to bring several restaurant concepts to life in Denver, most notably Jing Denver in Greenwood Village. Jay returned to Vail in 2011 and joined the Hotel Talisa, graduating to executive chef in 2018. He continued as an executive chef with The Grand Hyatt Vail until June 2020.