Upper Arlington resident Scott Boles has had an extensive culinary career. Although he quit the business nearly 15 years ago, his passion for cooking has yet to wane.

The 49-year-old studied culinary arts in Boston and worked in several restaurants there, doing everything from line chef to chef “de cuisine.” He began as a baker, specializing in breads, croissants, cakes and French pastries. Boles grew under the tutelage of his mentor Chef Jim Berrini, former executive chef for John F. Kennedy. Berrini helped place Boles in kitchens and bakeries, and taught him the importance of discipline in the field.

Boles honed his baking and pastry skills as a sous chef at Autré Chose, a well-known French restaurant in Boston. From there, his career took him to San Francisco and Denver. He eventually opened several of the first restaurants at the Breckenridge Ski Resort in Colorado. From Denver he went to Raleigh, N.C., and among other accomplishments, rescued a rundown Velvet Cloak Inn from obscurity to attaining a Mobil Five Star rating in just two years. His culinary career’s final stop was in Florida, where he served as chef and executive director of dining at Celebration Florida, which served various facets of the Disney Company.

Today, Boles is a business development manager for Sequent, a human resources outsourcing company, but the food industry hasn’t left his blood. He teaches cooking classes at venues such as UA’s LifeLong Learning Program and at Cardington High School in Cardington, Ohio. He teaches everything from the basics (sauces, soup composition) to sautéing to various regional and ethnic cuisines.

Boles also does most of the cooking for his family, which includes wife Kris, 22-year-old daughter Kasie and 18-year-old David.

“My kids always complained about eating fresh fancy dinners every night and just wanted some KFC or McDonald’s once in a while,” he says. “Since my daughter has gone on to college, she can’t get home enough to eat that food she complained about. Hopefully David will soon be eager to eat home cooking after he goes off to school.”

Boles has agreed to share one of his favorite recipes, a Mediterranean shrimp ceviche, with Upper Arlington Magazine readers. The traditional recipe, which substitutes cooked shrimp instead of raw, is a perfect dish for hot summer days and takes only minutes to prepare.

Scott Boles’ Mediterranean Shrimp Ceviche

3 pounds shrimp, cooked, peeled and de-veined
2 large tomatoes, diced
1 red onion, diced
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 jalapeño or Serrano chili, minced
4 limes squeezed (juice only)
2 lemons squeezed (juice only)
2 avocados, diced
1 cucumber, peeled and diced

Cut shrimp into 1-inch pieces and add to large bowl. Add citrus juices. Begin chopping remaining ingredients. Add chopped onion, tomatoes, chilies and cilantro. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes and up to two hours, which allows flavors to marry. When ready to serve, add avocados and cucumber. Toss well and serve with corn chips for dipping.