1972 – In the Beginning
Jay Shapiro was born in 1972, somewhere north of the Iron Range, where the trees outnumber people and rock 'n' roll echoes through the pines. He came into the world to the sound of Led Zeppelin, His mother Dawn Eve was a wild beauty with the kind of looks that didn’t stay hidden. A few years later, in the Twin Cities, the modeling scouts spotted her. That led to New York, and to Buddy Jacobson, the notorious horse trainer and modeling agency boss. Jay’s mother lived in the models penthouse along with a few other runway girls, she got offered the lead supporting actress role in Taxi Driver, turned it down and when Buddy got tied up in a love triangle murder case, she left it all behind without looking back.
Jay was raised on the road. Sixteen schools, a suitcase life. His mother turned hippie, traded glamor for gurus, and taught Jay about Paramahansa Yogananda and peace of mind. But it was his grandmother Faith who gave him roots. She ran a bar, shot bears when needed, and let him eat candy and drink beer on occasion in his adolescence. She said they were German Jews and meant it with pride.
1989 – Chicago
Jay got an invitation that changed his course. His Aunt Lou, owner of a fine Italian restaurant and entertainment complex in suburban Chicago, asked him to move in and help care for his great-grandmother he agreed. He ended up working at the restaurant which was named Paparazzi and had everything: waterfalls, bridges, murals flown in from Italy, and no prices on the menu. Upstairs was Toto’s nightclub, downstairs a lounge designed with rock stars in mind and four large banquet rooms. Jay met CEOs, musicians, magicians, mobsters; Even David Crosby dropped by.
Aunt Lou had purchased the venue from her former showbiz husband Marshall Brodien aka Wizzo the Wizard and TV magician who frequently performed for the Chicago Outfit including the likes of mobsters Joey Aiuppa, Jackie Cerrone and Frank Diamond Maritote at The Magic Club and The Cicero Lounge. Marshall made millions selling TV Magic Cards and Jay learned about Italian food and culture which was a huge departure from the north woods of MN.
1994 – Latin Love
Jay met Judy from Peru on a salsa night in downtown St. Paul at Amelia’s nightclub where Latin Sounds Orchestra was performing. Her family owned 80 miles of coca leaf farmland in the mountains near Huancayo, Peru. She escaped to Minnesota. Jay got swept into her culture, language and world. Judy invited him a chamber of commerce event, he liked it so much he started promoting Latin music parties and related events. They married, then divorced, but the Latin beat stayed with him. He learned Spanish by ear and heart.
1997 - Venezuela
Jay got divorced and moved to Venezuela after tutoring a young lady who returned to her native country. He phoned her up and explained that he desired Latin-America and wanted to learn the language. She helped him become an English Professor at ULA - Universidad de Los Andes where he spent a year teaching and learning. While there, he found an Italian newspaper and realized something: back home, there was no Italian publication in a city packed with Italian restaurants and families. He returned to Minnesota in December, 1998 and launched Mondo Italiano the next year.
It wasn’t just a newspaper. It was a tribute. To his roots, passions, and everything he admired in Italian culture. He named it after American Jewish World, (Italian World) but this one had pizza, pasta and panache.
2000 – Olive Oil
With cultural advertising at his disposal he decided to get into the olive oil business. IsRoil® brand was born In 2000. A fine Israeli olive oil which he sourced by meeting a girl in Holon, Israel on Jdate who referred him to Carmel Mizrahi winery who directed him to Royal Kedem Wines, before he knew it he had a 212 liter barrel of shemen zait (olive oil) being shipped into the port in Bayonne, NY. Jay promoted the Israeli olive oil online as a gourmet gift item and had success by sending out press releases and sending samples to influential people including former Mayor of Las Vegas Oscar Goodman. Shortly after sending the sample to Oscar orders came in from influential people around the county including inventor Ron Popeil of Beverly Hills.
2003 - Florida
Jay moved to South Florida, living near his Great Uncle Deli; a Korean War pilot who was handpicked by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale out of a crowd of several hundred soldiers as the most likely to succeed. Deli taught Jay how to hustle, how to enjoy a fine cigar, and how to work harder than anyone else. Jay still drives Cadillacs in his honor.
Deli always had his own plane in the postwar era. He shared a story of landing on highway 71 and parking on an old dirt road in Margie, Minnesota to walk in and have a hamburger and beer at his mother Eva’s restaurant and then return to the plane and fly away! Deli owned sod farms and blackrock / asphault road building equipment. He built the Boca Polo Club and hundreds of golf courses in South Florida and the Treasure Coast. He passed in 2013 yet his legacy lives on. His business ended up growing into the largest golf course and sports turf development company on the east coast. The business was passed on to his son who made a profitable decision to merge with LandTek Group. They are now known as LTG Sports Turf One and as of late 2025 they are bringing in roughly 200 million in annual revenue.
2005 – Publishing and Events
Jay Shapiro entered 2005 with olive oil on the brain and the Holy Land in his heart. He was importing Israeli extra virgin with the enthusiasm of a Templar knight and marketing it like it was Chanel No. 5. That venture, strange as it sounds, was the first domino in what would soon become a sprawling empire of media, chambers, mixers, and magazines.
In 2006, Jay birthed the Israeli Chamber of Commerce. But the baby kept growing. By 2008 it had evolved—first into JACOB (the Jewish American Chamber of Business), and then into something sleeker, sexier, and shinier: Luxury Chamber of Commerce. The name sparkled like a diamond cufflink, and Jay, ever the showman, leaned into it.
Social media was taking off around then. Jay pounced early, launching MySpace groups, Facebook pages, and digital pamphlets by the dozen. His olive oil hustle led him to build platforms that would later become publications: SOUTH FLORIDA magazine, SOUTHWEST FLORIDA magazine, Good Jewish News, and a sleek rebirth of Mondo Italiano—not as a newspaper this time, but a glossy magazine with Mediterranean teeth.
One smoky night at Gigi’s nightclub in Mizner Park, Jay met a woman who would turn a casual cigar stroll into something extraordinary. She stopped him mid-stride to compliment the aroma. Said it reminded her of her grandfather. She also happened to be the daughter of the man who owned Robb Report. For a guy who had admired Robb for a decade, it was serendipity wrapped in cigar smoke. Together, they launched The International Olive Oil Festival. Two city blocks shut down in front of Cinema Paradiso for a weekend of gourmet oil, networking, and global imports. That was May 2008.
In 2009, a real estate broker and chamber member wanted to host a networking event at a high-end property: 1200 Hillsboro Mile. She liked the chamber but didn’t think there were enough affluent members. Jay cracked a joke: “Why don’t we just call it Luxury Chamber of Commerce for one night?” Her eyes lit up. Jay’s gears turned. Within days, the joke became prophecy. The name stuck. It was born not from a business plans but from the desire to help a chamber member market homes.
The inaugural Luxury Chamber event hit on August 13th, 2009, at Prezzo in Aventura. A sold-out affair. Swag bags everywhere. Jay cut the ceremonial ribbon with a crisp hundred-dollar bill.
2010 – Public Relations
Barry Epstein, APR, PR shark, and connector of the stars ended up joining the chamber. Epstein brought political legends and billionaire pizza barons. Jay had dinner with Domino’s founder Tom Monaghan, who still did 150 pushups a day and talked like a Vatican diplomat. Jay made a mental note to include Tom in his future billionaire book.
2013 – Ross Mandell
Ross Mandell entered the fold in 2013. Wall Street maverick. Tried to take an American company public in the UK. Dined with Lords. Lost it all when the 2008 crash came knocking. Got hit by the feds. Spent time in the pen. But before the bars came down, Jay threw him a socialite networking party with him as the speaker; 200 guests, The Plaza Theatre, Manalapan. A proper sendoff. Years later, after Ross did his time, Jay gave him a chamber of commerce welcome-back bash at MarToni’s Lounge in Pompano Beach. Loyalty runs deep.
2014 – Dr. Khalilah Ali
Met and became good friends with Dr. Khalilah Camacho-Ali who had invited the late great boxer Muhammad Ali (her ex-husband) to be one of our celebrity guest speakers at The Meatball Room in Boca Raton on 11/16/15.
2017 - Little Italy
Jay, along with Franco Fiore, co-founded the Little Italy Association of Fort Lauderdale near Galt Ocean Mile. It was a nostalgic, proud move—connecting Sicilian, Canadian, and local Italian-Americans in one cultural artery. That same year, Mondo Italiano relaunched in magazine format. Covers featured everyone from Leo Messi and Andrea Bocelli to Matriarch Maddalena Riboli and Giada De Laurentiis.
2018 – SOUTH FLORIDA magazine
Then SOUTH FLORIDA magazine got its glow-up in 2018. Digital, print-on-demand, synergized with the chamber. In November of that year, Jay launched the Naples Chapter of Luxury Chamber with designers, realtors, and Dr. Ali signing books at the function.
2021 - SOUTHWEST FLORIDA magazine
SW Florida debuted as the Gulf-side twin to SOUTH FLORIDA. Another gear in the Luxury Chamber Media machine.
2023 – Billionaire Book
Jay Started Writing “How to Perform Like a Billionaire” A success life and business biohacking bible with wisdom from: Billionaires, The Seals, La Cosa Nostra, Japanese Yakuza and Secret Societies.
2025
Now that book is out in the world. You can find it at BillionaireBestseller.com. Jay’s booked a flight to Israel for July. A personal pilgrimage.
Because something happened recently. He’d always believed in his Jewish roots. Founded olive oil brands, Israeli chambers, Good Jewish News—all with that spirit. But a DNA test came back light on the Jewish side. Confused, he dug deeper. That was dad’s side. Then came the matrilineal test. The real deal. June 13, 2025. Ashkenazi. Sephardic. Even Persian-Mizrahi. It all checked out. Suddenly, everything made sense.
He Googled his extended cousins. One after another, high-level success stories. Jeffrey Gural stood out, New York real estate titan, casino owner, and yes, connected to Buddy Jacobson, Jay’s mother’s old modeling Manager. The past, once again, catching up to the present.
Jay Shapiro runs his world under the banner of Luxury Chamber Media Group. Magazines, chambers, networking events, cigars, and legacy.
And the story has just begun!