At the age of twenty-one he procured his first executive chef position at Levi Lowell’s Restaurant in Merrimack, NH.

Under his culinary direction the restaurant received numerous hospitality awards including “Best Restaurant North of Boston” by Fortune Magazine and The Boston Globe. He’s had the honor of cooking for Julia Child twice on her birthday, President George Bush, President William Clinton and the European Parliament.

His achievements have been praised in Bon Appetite Magazine, Gourmet Magazine, Cook’s Magazine, Yankee Magazine, The Christian Science Monitor, The Boston Globe, Boston Magazine, The Boston Phoenix, The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, National Geographic Travel Magazine, The Los Angeles Times, Miami Herald, International Herald Tribune, German magazines Geo and Der Feinschmecker, and the New Hampshire Union Leader. Chef Paige has also been featured on National Public Radio and public television in the United States, Canada, and England, ABC’s Cleveland Morning Exchange, The Food Network, The Nashville Network and ABC’s Good Morning America with Julia Child.

He has received the distinguished invitation to cook, twice, at the James Beard House, NYC. Chef Paige is the co-author of Cooking In The Shaker Spirit with renowned chef James Haller, formerly of The Blue Strawbery Restaurant, Portsmouth, New Hampshire. His second cookbook, The Shaker Kitchen ~ Over 100 Recipes From Canterbury Shaker Village, was published by Random House in April of 1994 and has sold over 100,000 copies.

As part of its fiftieth anniversary celebration in 1996, The Culinary Institute of America recognized Chef Paige as one of its top 100 distinguished alumni from the 1976-1986 decade. In the Fall of 2000, Chef Paige opened Cotton, an American Bistro, in Manchester, New Hampshire’s historic millyard district.

The restaurant opened to critical acclaim being named “One of the Top 10 Neighborhood Restaurants in the Northeast” by Bon Appetite Magazine, labeled “a hip bistro” by the New York Times, a not-to-be missed restaurant in New England by National Geographic Traveler Magazine and Best Overall Restaurant in New Hampshire by New Hampshire Magazine.

For over the past 20 years I’ve had the pleasure of befriending many of New Hampshire’s finest purveyors of fruits and vegetables, cheese, smoked meats and fresh seafood. The fruits of their labor inspire me daily and have instilled in me a deep sense of pride and respect for New Hampshire’s rich culinary heritage.

COTTON features the cooking of Chef/Owner Jeffrey Paige, whose seasonal menus offer primarily American comfort food. Robust plates are created with distinctive flavors and presented in a straightforward manner, allowing the quality of the ingredients to speak for themselves.

COTTON has an extensive and always expanding list of carefully selected domestic and imported wines, over 40 by the glass, and an award winning seasonal martini list.

Reservations are accepted for all meals, and are strongly recommended on Friday and Saturday evenings.

Please call us at 622-5488. Visit us on- line at www.CottonFood.com. “…a hip bistro…” New York Times - 2001 “One of the Top Ten Neighborhood Restaurants in the Northeast” Bon Appetit Magazine – 2002 “Best Martinis-Best Crab Cakes-Best Overall Restaurant” New Hampshire Magazine - 2004 “One of New England’s Not-To-Miss Restaurants” Yankee Magazine’s Travel Guide To New England - 2005 “A Hip, Urban Bistro with a Selection of Great Food…. 5 Stars” The Nashua Telegraph 2005 “Best Martinis in New Hampshire.” New Hampshire Magazine 2004-2005-2006

Hours of Operation

Lunch - Monday - Friday
11:30AM-2:30PM

Dinner Nightly at 5:00PM