JJ Johnson (chef) facts for kids
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| Born | Joseph Johnson 1984/1985 (age 40–41) Long Island, New York |
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| Cooking style | Afro-Asian |
| Education | Culinary Institute of America |
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Current restaurant(s)
FieldTrip
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Previous restaurant(s)
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Award(s) won
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Joseph Johnson, known as JJ Johnson, is a famous American chef and author. He is well-known for cooking delicious food from the African diaspora. This means he uses cooking styles and ingredients from African cultures that have spread around the world.
In 2019, Chef Johnson won a special award called the James Beard Foundation Book Award. He received it for his cookbook, Between Harlem and Heaven, which he wrote with Alexander Smalls. Chef Johnson also started his own fast-casual restaurant called Fieldtrip. You might have seen him on TV too, as he was a chef on Buzzfeed's Tasty and hosted his own show, Just Eats with Chef JJ.
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Early life and learning to cook
JJ Johnson was born in Long Island, New York. His family has roots in the Caribbean, with grandparents from places like Barbados and Puerto Rico. He spent his early years living in the Pocono Mountains.
When he was just seven years old, Chef Johnson knew he wanted to be a chef. He saw a TV commercial for the Culinary Institute of America, a famous cooking school, and it inspired him. He also loved reading his grandmother's cookbooks as he grew up.
Chef Johnson's career
After finishing his studies at the Culinary Institute of America, Chef Johnson traveled to Ghana. There, he learned a lot about West African cuisine. When he came back to New York City, he worked in several well-known restaurants like Tropico, Jane, and Tribeca Grill.
In 2011, Chef Johnson won a cooking competition on a TV show called Rocco's Dinner Party. Later, another chef named Alexander Smalls asked him to explore a new cooking idea: Afro-Asian food. This style mixes African and Asian flavors. They even went to Ghana together to cook American-themed dinners. When they returned, they created many new recipes. These recipes led to the opening of The Cecil restaurant in 2013, where Chef Johnson was the main chef until 2017. He also worked at Minton's, a sister restaurant.
In 2018, Chef Johnson became the main chef at The Henry at Life Hotel in Manhattan. His menu there focused on African diaspora cuisine, which is his specialty. In the same year, he helped write the Afro-Asian cookbook, Between Harlem and Heaven.
In 2019, Chef Johnson opened his own restaurant called Fieldtrip. It's a fast-casual place, which means you can get good food quickly. Fieldtrip uses special unprocessed rice from farmers. The restaurant became very popular and even opened a new location at Rockefeller Center in 2020. In 2021, big investment companies helped Chef Johnson plan to open even more Fieldtrip locations. In 2020, Esquire magazine named Fieldtrip one of 'America's Best New Restaurants'. It was the only fast-casual restaurant on their list!
Awards and special recognition
Chef JJ Johnson has received many important awards for his cooking and books:
- James Beard Foundation Award for Best American Cookbook (2019) – This is like a very big award for cookbooks in America.
- Forbes 30 Under 30 in the Food & Wine category (2014) – This means he was recognized as one of 30 successful people under 30 years old in the food and wine world.
- Zagat 30 Under 30 (2014) – Another award for being a successful young person in the food industry.
- Eater Young Guns (2014) – This award celebrates rising stars in the food world.
Television shows
Chef Johnson has appeared on several TV shows, sharing his cooking skills:
- Just Eats with Chef JJ
- Street Food
- The Next Thing You Eat
- Chopped
- The Big Brunch
- Secret Chef
Cookbooks
Chef Johnson has also written cookbooks to share his recipes:
- Johnson, JJ; Smalls, Alexander; Chambers, Veronica (2018). Between Harlem and Heaven
- Johnson, JJ: Danica Novgorodoff (2023). The Simple Art of Rice
