Our Team

Jill Armstrong joined the Cameron Mitchell Restaurants (CMR) family in 2013 when she began serving at The Pearl in the Short North to put herself through college at The Ohio State University. She quickly fell in love with the restaurant industry and CMR’s associate-first culture, which she says the company embodies each day by providing a support system that makes work fun.

Before transitioning as the general manager at Del Mar Columbus, Armstrong worked for several CMR concepts including The Barn, Hudson 29, The Guild House, the former Harvey and Ed’s, and The Pearl Dublin, holding positions as a server, lead trainer, beverage manager and general manager. Armstrong won the General Manager of the Year award at CMR’s 2023 Leadership Conference, and led The Pearl Dublin to winning Restaurant of the
Year.

Armstrong says the most important professional lesson she’s learned is that communication is key. She notes that it’s vital to be transparent and honest with your colleagues to grow as a professional. Playing on each other’s strengths, she says, is what makes a successful team.

“Learn to love the unexpected,” Armstrong advises anyone interested in pursuing a career in restaurants and hospitality. “The beauty of our profession is that it is fast paced and evolves daily. Each day is unique and that’s what makes it so exciting!”

Hailing from Edgerton, Ohio, Armstrong currently resides in Hilliard. Outside of work, Armstrong enjoys camping with her family, spending time with her nieces, reading, traveling and trying new restaurants. Although she says it’s hard to choose, her favorite CMR dish is the Thai Curry Noodles from Molly Woo’s.

After leading kitchens at Ocean Prime outposts in Denver, Atlanta, Philadelphia and Boston for years, assisting in the development and opening of Valentina’s in Dublin, Ohio in 2023, and nearly two decades of extensive fine dining experience, Mitchell Brumels joins the Del Mar Columbus team as Executive Chef. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), he has trained under world-renowned chefs and is active in the pursuit of furthering his mastery of the craft.

Prior to joining Cameron Mitchell Restaurants, Chef Brumels was executive chef for nine years at Vitale’s restaurants in Michigan, which was named “Italian Restaurant of the Year” four times by Dining Out magazine. Prior to Vitale’s, he spent two years as executive chef of the award-winning Italian restaurant Tre Cugini in Grand Rapids, Michigan, which received “Restaurant of the Year” awards from On The Town magazine
both years that he was running the kitchen.

Brumels entered the restaurant industry as a dishwasher at age 16 and quickly moved up in the kitchen. Always eager to learn, he took a job at a fine dining Italian restaurant to work under a CIA graduate. Seeing Brumels’ merit, the chef later encouraged him to also apply to the CIA. Listening to the chef’s advice, Brumels went to the famed New York culinary school and graduated top 10 in his class in 1999.

A true Michigander at heart, Brumels enjoys ice carving, fly fishing, the outdoors, and food.