John Besh
Restaurant August/Luke/John Besh Steakhouse/La Provence
New Orleans LA
http://www.restaurantaugust.com
John Besh grew up in southeastern Louisiana, hunting and fishing like most of the region´s inhabitants and enjoying farm-raised vegetables and local meats. Learning the difference freshness makes very early in his life informs his cooking to this day.
Besh served in the Marines during Operation Desert Storm. He studied at the Culinary Institute of America, and continued his career with stints at a Michelin-starred Romantik Hotel Spielweg in Germany´s Black Forest, under the tutelage of Karl Josef Fuchs, – and under Alain Assaud in France. He worked at Maxim´s in New York, and returned home to work at the Grill Room of the Windsor Court Hotel in New Orleans. – It was an excellent education and pathway to becoming an excellent chef, but he still credits the Creole influences that came with being born on the bayou.
Now well-known as the victorious ‚“Iron Chef‚” who defeated Chef Mario Batali, Besh opened Restaurant August in 2001, and John Besh Steak at Harrah´s Casino, New Orleans, in 2003. But as early as 1999 Food & Wine placed him among of the Top 10 Best Chefs in America. In 2003 Restaurant August was included in Gourmet magazine´s guide to America´s Best Restaurants, and in 2005 Besh was nominated for a James Beard Award; in 2006 he won for ‚“Best Chef Southeast.‚”
Following Hurricne Katrina, Besh felt it essential to get his own restaurants up and running as quickly as possible to aid in the recovery of New Orleans. He was also instrumental in the rebuilding of historic Willie Mae´s Scotch House. Besh feels returning to the local ingredients and culinary dialect in the kitchen plays an essential part in the region´s reestablishment after the great losses of both Katrina and Hurricane Rita. He opened his brasserie Luke, and took on the continuation of La Provence from his mentor Chris Kerageorgiou. He grows his own herbs and produce and oversees raising of prime farm animals to be able to bring the fresh flavor of the local ingredients to his table. John Besh is a member of the Southern Foodways Alliance, the Louisiana Seafood Council, and a board member of the Southern Food and Beverage Museum in New Orleans.
