John Turnbull

Chef John Turnbull is a Brooklyn born and raised chef. He’s been cooking throughout the New York fine dining scene for over 10 years much of which was spent coming up in Michelin star restaurants.

Although he studied Economics in college he quickly realized after that office life was not his destiny. He got into the culinary world starting at the bottom, as a bicycle delivery driver via a pedal bicycle in Manhattan. During downtime and on days off, any free time was spent in the kitchen. After bag upon bag of chopped onion, and several pots of french onion soup later it was time to begin cooking seriously.

After stints at the NoMad and Estela he went to cook in Italy for nearly a year at I’Ciocio, a wonderful bistro in the heart of the small town of Suvereto, in Tuscany. There he learned his love for wild mushrooms, pasta fresca and all things Italian. Eventually it was time to return and after a trip to Peru, he fell in love with the cuisine. He was a long time sous chef at Llama Inn where he was enamored by chile’s and ceviches.

“I like to view food as a culinary adventure. For me one of the most exciting times of the year is when I get to travel. Through food and restaurants I’m fortunate to have networks and friends all over the world. I always make sure to go somewhere with great cuisine and good vibes to match. It’s truly fascinating to experience how people around the world approach similar ingredients with vastly different styles and techniques. I like to see how peoples grandmothers prepare food. A good chef never stops studying and learning and in order to teach that you must stay humble.”