Other
Jean Joho
James Beard Award winner
- Discipline
- Other
i. Biography
Maître Cuisinier de France since 1991, Jean Joho built his reputation on classical French technique carried into American dining rooms without diluting the original discipline. The work reads from Strasbourg outward: Hotel Restaurant School in Strasbourg, then kitchens in Chicago, Boston, and Las Vegas, with each move reinforcing the same priorities—precision, consistency, and control over the room as much as the plate.
Coming Up
The apprenticeship model at L'Auberge de L'Ill in Alsace, France, set the terms of the craft early for Joho: repetition, exactness, and the slower education of French cooking done at standard. A later post as sous chef at Michelin three-star restaurant placed him in a kitchen where expectations were already set at a high level. From there, the longest stretch of his career came as chef and proprietor at Everest in Chicago, Illinois (1986–2020), a run that tied his name to a restaurant with endurance, structure, and clear ambition. The portfolio expanded through a series of chef and proprietor roles at Brasserie Jo in Chicago, Illinois, Brasserie Jo in Boston, Massachusetts, Paris Club Bistro & Bar in Chicago, Illinois, and Studio Paris in Chicago, Illinois. Across those rooms, the throughline is authorship: French-inflected dining shaped for different cities, but still grounded in the same operational discipline. As partner at M Burger, Joho also stepped into a different format without leaving the restaurant business behind. His current range shows how that experience has been carried into concept-building as well as service. He is Head Chef of The Eiffel Tower Restaurant, managing partner of Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, partner of Nacional 27, co-creator of Miru (since 2022), and co-creator of Tre Dita (since 2022). The spread of those roles points to a chef working across kitchen, ownership, and development, with French training still visible in the way the work is organized.
Where They Are Now
At The Eiffel Tower Restaurant in Las Vegas, USA, the chef-and-proprietor role places Joho inside both the creative and business sides of the room. That combination matters in destination dining, where the standard is not only what leaves the kitchen but how the restaurant is shaped and maintained over time. For Joho, the position fits a career built on classical French foundations and sustained in large-format American hospitality.
Signature
Jean's signature dishes include Eiffel Tower Cookbook. The title reads less like a one-off and more like a record of the restaurant world around his name. In Joho’s case, signature work is about continuity: a French line of thinking applied consistently enough to become recognizable across rooms and years.
Honors
Jean Joho has received James Beard Foundation, Who's Who. Jean's honors include Restaurateur of the Year, Who's Who, Best New Restaurant, Best American Chef: Midwest, and Culinary Award of Excellence. Those distinctions map a career recognized not just for cooking, but for restaurant leadership, endurance, and influence across different markets. Taken together, they confirm the breadth of Joho’s standing without separating him from the trade that produced it.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Jean
What is Jean Joho's current role?
As of 2026, Jean Joho is Head Chef of the Eiffel Tower Restaurant.
Where did Jean Joho work before?
Jean Joho's earlier career included L'Auberge de L'Ill, Michelin three-star restaurant, and Everest.
What recognition has Jean Joho received?
Restaurateur of the Year (2012).
