Josh Capon facts for kids

Josh Capon (born in 1972) is a famous American chef and a friendly face you might see on TV! He's known for making delicious food and winning cooking awards.

Early Life and Cooking Fun

Josh Capon went to the University of Maryland for college. There, he found out he was really good at cooking for his friends. His friends even gave him small amounts of money to help pay for the ingredients! This fun hobby made him realize he loved cooking. So, he decided to go to a special cooking school called Johnson and Wales University.

Becoming a Top Chef

Learning from the Best

While at Johnson and Wales, Josh got a special chance to work with a famous chef named Charlie Palmer. He became a "culinary intern" at Palmer's amazing restaurant, Aureole, in New York City. After finishing school in 1994, Josh kept working with Charlie Palmer. He even helped open a new restaurant called The Lenox Room.

Next, Josh worked with another great chef, David Burke, at the Park Avenue Café. To learn even more, Josh spent a whole year traveling in Europe. He used this time to make his cooking skills even better!

Leading Kitchens

When Josh came back, he worked at The St. Regis Hotel's Astor Court. He was a "sous-chef" there, which is like a head assistant chef. Later, he worked with Charlie Palmer again. This time, Josh became the "executive chef" (the main chef in charge) at Alva, Palmer's American bistro.

After that, Josh was the executive chef at Matthew's on the Upper East Side for a few years. Then, he took over as the executive chef at Canteen in SoHo.

Opening His Own Restaurants

After some time, Josh teamed up with John McDonald and Josh Pickard. They opened Lure Fishbar, a fancy seafood and sushi restaurant. It was in the same spot where Canteen used to be. This team then opened more popular places. These included Burger & Barrel Winepub, El Toro Blanco, and Bowery Meat Company. They even opened another Lure Fishbar in Miami!

TV Appearances and Awards

Josh Capon is a seven-time winner of the People's Choice award. He won it at the NYC Wine & Food Festival's Burger Bash. This means people really love his burgers!

You might have seen Josh on TV shows like Rachael Ray, Good Morning America, and TODAY. He has also been on the Food Network. Plus, his cooking has been written about in famous newspapers and magazines. These include The New York Times and New York Magazine.

New Ventures and Clubs

In 2021, Josh started a new company called VCR Group. He co-founded it with Gary Vaynerchuk, Conor Hanlon, and David Rodolitz.

In 2022, VCR Group opened ITO. This is a small, special restaurant in Tribeca, New York, where a chef prepares a meal just for you (called "omakase"). Later in 2022, VCR Group launched Flyfish Club. This is a very unique private dining club. To become a member, you buy a special digital token called an NFT.

Josh has also been part of the US Open tennis tournament for many years. He has a Flyfish pop-up stand there. He serves tasty lobster rolls, oysters, and other special dishes.

In 2023, VCR Group added more restaurants. These include Capon's Burgers in the Fontainebleau on the Las Vegas Strip. They also opened Little Maven, a Modern American restaurant in New York City. In September 2024, Josh became a chef at the Flyfish Club in New York. This club was started with money from NFT sales.

See also

• Chopped (TV series)
• Matthew Kenney
• Gary Vaynerchuk