About the Chef JJ Johnson

JJ Johnson is a James Beard Award-winning chef best known for his barrier-breaking cuisine connecting the foodways of West Africa and Asia to the Americas. Chef JJ’s signature style of combining culturally relevant ingredients with his classically trained cooking and global point of view was inspired by the Caribbean tastes he grew up with, combined with inspiration from his travels.  

The New York Times recently named JJ Johnson one of 16 Black Chefs Changing Food in America. In the article, JJ States “I hire the best person who comes in the door. I have a majority of women and people of color in my kitchen because they apply here, knowing my kitchen is a safe space, not because I’m trying to hire people like that. That’s not the society I want to live in. The idea is to make sure merit and hard work are equally rewarded.”

JJ’s Cookbook “Between Harlem and Heaven,” written with Alexander Smalls, contains over 100 recipes informed by three decades of traveling the African Diaspora and meeting and cooking with chefs of color. The book is inspired by African, Asian and African-American cuisine around the world. 

Recognized by Eater as one of the New Guard of Power in NYC Dining, JJ’s brand of creating cultural connections through food is a hallmark of his hospitality group Ingrained Hospitality Concepts, LLC, a collaboration of industry professionals dedicated to creating great restaurants while sharing international cuisine with amazing hospitality. 

Learn more about Chef JJ! See you on March 18, 2021 at 6pm! Tickets available soon.