Joyce Russell
Operations Assistant to the
Director of Culture and Operations
Paid in grits since 2014
Joyce is the operations assistant to the Director of Operations & Culture and personal assistant to Chef Jim Shirley. Joyce also holds a third job title — nationally renowned Paella Queen.
By day, Joyce skillfully manages executive administrative duties and assists on special projects. By night, Joyce brings the 30-A paella experience to her faithful followers and visitors who plan their vacations to the beach around her traditional Paella Night.
As a fixture on the Seaside culinary scene for over twenty-one years and previous experience in the financial sector, Joyce has a track record of strong performance in high-volume, high-pressure environments. Her experience also equips her to handling sensitive information and material, including her secret paella seasoning.
Joyce is active in the community and annually caters a group of nine professional women who gather together every year, and she has been catering the group for the last ten years. Her family, close friends, and work are important to her and keep her motivated and driven to continue and achieve her vision of personal success.
Brian Salter
Chief Financial Officer
Paid in grits since 2019
Brian is a native of Jacksonville, Florida, and relocated to Northwest Florida in 2010 as part of a corporate relocation. After working in corporate finance and accounting for over 20 years, Brian opened his own CPA firm to be of service to others. Several years after fulfilling his dream of starting his boutique CPA firm, Brian joined Chef Jim Shirley Enterprises to help grow the existing businesses.
Brian is a licensed certified public accountant and holds a BBA in accounting from Stetson University and an MBA from the University of North Florida. He has served as treasurer for the Cultural Arts Alliance, Seaside Schools Inc., the Friends of the Coastal Branch Library and the Parish Council of Apostles By-the-Sea Anglican Church.
If not in the office, you can often find Brian enjoying the outdoor lifestyle that South Walton offers — running the vast trails in the forest, swimming, paddle boarding or kayaking. Brian resides in South Walton with his wife and their two sons.
Madison Shirley
Director of Brand & Storytelling
Paid in grits since 2021
A born and bred storyteller who grew up split between the hustle and bustle of her family's restaurants in the Florida panhandle and San Francisco, Madison has been spinning food yarns since before she could say 'grits á ya ya.'
Always a bit of a bon vivant, there is nothing Madison loves more than exploring the diverse food scenes from coast to coast and learning about the history and culture packed into every bite. Meaning, she is quite at home here as the Director of Brand & Storytelling, working to tell the story of Jim Shirley's family of restaurants, food, the remarkable people who make up the team, and the communities they are part of.
At twelve, Madison's first job as a hostess at the Great Southern Cafe instilled in her a deep appreciation for some of the critical tenets of hospitality. This was long before computerized wait systems or buzzers, and she quickly learned that organization, clear communication, and a well-laid-out space led to much happier guests. And that nothing makes things better like a smile (and maybe a slice of key lime pie).
While attending school in the Pacific Northwest and Italy, Madison's understanding and passion for the agricultural story behind food grew as she took classes in organic horticulture, design, and marketing. Upon graduating, she found herself in the tech industry working for Adobe and Nest, where she had the honor of being mentored by some truly remarkable women. Still, she found that she missed the passion, community, and narrative that she had come to love within the food industry.
Finding her niche within the craft cider industry, Madison spent several years building and maintaining the brand for one of the largest independently owned craft alcohol suppliers in the nation. Here, she cemented her beliefs that food brings communities together and that she wanted to be an integral part of crafting that narrative. The youngest board member of the Northwest Cider Association, Madison is honored to be an advisor and advocate for many women and LGBTQ+ members of the industry.
When not espousing the good word of "Good Grits!," Madison can be found exploring the world with her partner Justin and their small army of pets (two dogs, two cats). Whether it's hiking through the Cascades in Oregon, kayaking along the shores of South Walton, going to concerts, or finding her next bite to eat, Madison is excited to embrace every adventure life throws at her one snack at a time.
Christopher Jeffers
Chief Operating Officer
Paid in grits since 2022
Christopher Jeffers is a fifth-generation West Texan whose restaurant career started at the age of fifteen when he washed dishes at a Seafood Restaurant in his hometown of San Angelo up until he graduated from high school. While taking classes at the University of North Texas, he kept working in local bars and restaurants until he eventually moved to Dallas to work for his first corporate restaurant group, Uncle Julio’s Tex Mex. Here he climbed the management ranks and learned firsthand how to operate a large restaurant footprint and what it takes to operate at such a high sales level.
From there he was lured away by the pioneering restaurant group Emerging Brands where Christopher learned next-level customer service. He became a new-store opening consultant and spent the next three years with a team of all-star creatives designing and opening 6 different boutique brands of restaurants and bars all over the country for Carlson Restaurants Worldwide. In 2008, Christopher and some friends opened several successful neighborhood bars and restaurants in the DFW area. His restaurant group won many awards, including Dallas restaurant of the year, several Food and Wine Magazine accolades, appearances on multiple food network shows, and his chef/partner even won a James Beard Award for a cookbook from their restaurant, Smoke. While consulting here along 30A, he met Jim Shirley, Brian Salter, and Madison Shirley. A friendship was born out of the like-mindedness of the group and the core values that Jim Shirley Enterprises celebrates. Christopher now splits his time between Dallas and South Walton county to run the day-to-day operations for all locations while also working alongside some of the most dedicated management team leaders that help to curate an elevated level of service. He also has plans to grow Jim Shirley Enterprises to a national level.
When not working, Christopher loves to spend time with his wife, Julie, and their three kids Alice, Landon, and Nolan.
