JOHN HOGAN

John Hogan began his career in the 1979 learning the craft of French cuisine in some of Chicago’s finest restaurants.  In 1987 he was contacted by Chef Jean Joho at the four-star Everest. Chef Joho offered a position which John promptly accepted. Chef Joho took Hogan under his tutelage and groomed him to run the kitchen. This is where John’s eyes were opened to very refined cooking and plate presentations that were new to him. There he was able to introduce some of the classic cuisine that he had learned only to refine it to fit Everest’s new style of cuisine. Later Chef Jean Joho recommend Hogan to Georges “Kiki” Cuiance, where he spent the next five years developing his style of French food. Kiki’s is where he earned many accolades in both local and national press, including an award he was quite proud of, the Chef’s favorite place to eat in Chicago.  He then was tapped by David Burke to run the Chicago outpost of Park Avenue Café where he introduced French nuisances to David’s visually stunning American cuisine earning three star reviews from both Chicago Press on the same day. 

It was then he decided to fulfill his dream of opening his own French restaurant, Savarin.  When he opened Savarin, the Chicago Tribune named Hogan as one of the "Top 10 Chefs in Chicago" while Travel + Leisure honored Savarin with “America’s Top 50 Restaurants.” Esquire magazine also honored Savarin with “Best Restaurant of 1999.” Chicago Tribune reviewer, Phil Vittel said "No serious discussion of French cooking in Chicago can exclude this man." 

Following Savarin, Hogan joined Glenn Keefer, who was a well-regarded Chicago steak house legend and opened Keefer’s. The vision was a Chef driven steakhouse which was a new idea to the Chicago restaurant scene. The diverse menu of Keefer’s included prime steaks, that featured house made charcuterie and a variety of fresh daily fish and seafood, unique sides and some French nuances. After a successful thirteen year run, Hogan took a trip to London with his longtime friend, Tony Mantuano, where they together created the idea of a English style Roast House. River Roast featured whole roasted meats, a deep-rooted French charcuterie. He also introduced Chicago to the “Blues and Brews Brunch” which he hosted on the weekends. 

Today John is loving life with his wife, children and grandchildren which he says are the true joys of life.