John Besh

John Besh, the chef and philanthropist from New Orleans.

John Besh was born May 14, 1968 in the small town of Meridian, Mississippi, United States. In the early 70's of the last century, his family moved to the neighboring state of Louisiana in New Orleans, where John lives today.

In 1986 he graduated from the High School of St. Stanislaus College, after which he was enlisted reservist in one of the buildings of the Navy United States. Education John went to Louisiana State Universiti. As you know, the young student is one of the most "advanced" layers anyone, including US society, sensitive to all the shortcomings of the state policy. In most cases, students expressed their displeasure, using as a platform meeting various social organizations. This enthusiasm has been spared, and John Besh, becoming at one time a member of the fraternity В«Alpha Tau OmegaВ».

It was during these years, it woke up craving for cooking. So, having studied briefly at the University of Louisiana, he enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America, who graduated in 1992. The events of 1990 in Kuwait (Operation "Desert Storm") was not spared by his side: being called up for military service, he was forced to make a 10-month pause in the learning process. He fought not in the kitchen, and on the front lines with the rank of sergeant, and by force of arms took part in the capture of the Kuwait International Airport.

Mr. Besh married. For the sake of his 4 sons - Brendan Jack, Luke and Andrew - he sometimes forgets about everything and sees them to nature in order to continue a long-standing family tradition: fishing. His wife, Jennifer, a lawyer by profession, is absolutely against this pastime its men

Professional successes.

Having lived my entire adult life in Louisiana, John Besh was able to grasp all the subtleties of the local cuisine. And he grasped them! This is evidenced by the following two facts. Fact number one: in 2006, John was awarded the James Beard Foundation in the nomination "Best Chef of the Southeast." Second fact: Mr. besha awarded in 2009 the prize "Silver Spoon for art in cooking" with the wording "for the revival of culinary heritage of New Orleans." And before that, in 1999, a very popular magazine В«Food & WineВ» had his name in the top 10 best new chefs of America. Devotion to the local cuisine and local ingredients predetermined direction of business, John. So, for his services include the creation of "Besh Restaurant Group Catering" and the launch of the so-called "line of gourmet products."

Like many of his colleagues, culinary talents are not the only advantage of Mr. besha. By publishing his literary works, he seeks to convey to every citizen of planet Earth's understanding of what a noble, refined food, which he uses in his turn, and ennobles him. Currently John is the author of two best-selling books: В«My New Orleans: The CookbookВ» September 2009 and В«My Family Table: A Passionate Plea for Home CookingВ» November 2011.

John Besh - the personification of the restaurant business in New Orleans.

His first restaurant В«AugustВ» Mr. Besh opened in 2001 in a suburb of New Orleans, which has the status of the Central Business District of Louisiana's largest city. The success of his first child contributed to the discovery of another 8 restaurants in New Orleans and one in San Antonio. In addition, after the death in 2006 of his mentor Chris Kerageorgiou, John took control of the restaurant В«Le ProvenceВ», founded by Chris. In September 2009, in the reconstructed after the devastation inflicted by Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans hotel "Roosevelt" Mr. Besh opened a restaurant В«DomenicaВ», which is specialized in Italian cuisine. Moreover, it has got to the room he was not for past achievements, but in the course of the competition В«Food Network's The Next Iron ChefВ» against 7 other famous colleagues, among whom was Michael Symon, are also very high demand culinary maestro. According to experts, it is possible to master Beshu become the face of the restaurant business in New Orleans.

John Besh philanthropist.

Despite his busy schedule, Mr. Besh took the time and in 2011 created the John Besh Foundation. The Foundation's mission is to provide scholarships, grants and loans to individuals who live in New Orleans, obsessed with the idea of ​​transformation of social relations, both in the city and throughout Louisiana.

Remember, as we have said about the participation of Mr. Besh brotherhood В«Alpha Tau OmegaВ»? By analogy with him, John Besh uses its Foundation as a platform to promote this noble idea. Through the partnership program, and various donations, the Foundation fosters new young talents, helping to bring to life the creative initiatives of ordinary citizens in the preservation of culture, including the history of culinary affairs of New Orleans and all of Louisiana.

Mr. Besh believes that food with a capital letter, are not just bread, and abundance of material goods, is able to unite different cultures, transforming the existing relationship between them and forming new development trends. At the same time we can not forget the past, brushing aside all the negative, leaving only the good.

"Culinary World" - this is the quintessence of which is able to unite the hitherto warring culture, and that, along with this, contribute to the further development of the talents and capabilities of a single individual.

This idea was born not from scratch, but due to the experience gained during the revelry of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. John Besh then took an active part in organizing the supply of rescuers. Also, in order to assist the victims of this disaster, he took part in the action «Po'Boy Power!», Conducted by famous chefs in the District of Columbia, Washington. Together, in just a few hours they were able to collect more than $ 27,000, which they then delivered to the Fund of assistance to the victims. This is the best supports the idea of ​​Mr. John Besh a "culinary world."