Today we’d like to introduce you to John Gronkiewicz
Hi John, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Art has always been a passion of mine. Whether it was sketching, playing music, or even cooking, I took it seriously and studied it. Before I started my career in cooking, I always had a job that involved food, usually corporate restaurants or even fast food chains. When I was younger I was deep into music and playing shows with various bands, so I always saw cooking as a side gig. By the time I graduated high school, I started to realize that I needed get my act together and realized the music industry wasn’t going my way so I turned my head and focused on cooking. The first time I got a job on a kitchen line I was obsessed with the intensity and creativity of the environment. It drove me to take this on as a profession and take my studies to The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. There I was able to develop a strong foundation and understanding about cooking. This led me to travel and see how kitchens ran in places like NY, CT, and SF. Through my journey I’ve collected a vast amount of different insights on techniques, ingredients, and different perspectives from the chefs that I worked for. After school, I applied to Redbird and Chef Neal took me in. I started off as a line cook and worked my way up to Executive Sous Chef. Ive been here for 8 years, which is a long tenure for any chef at a restaurant, but I don’t regret a single second that I’ve been here. I’ve been able to express myself through food as well as mentor young cooks that have passed through over the years. Chef Neal has given me a lot of trust over trust of the years and allowed me to manage pretty much all of our menu’s, dinner, brunch, private events, tastings, etc.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Not at all. The biggest thing is balancing work and life outside of it., It’s easy to neglect health, relationships, and other important aspects that need my attention. When I was young I would come home and continue to study my craft, not giving time to my family or even friends. I was obsessed with trying to be the best and teach myself new techniques, even after a 12 to 14 hour work day. This led to alcohol abuse and smoking tons of cigarettes a day counteract my stress. Over the years, I’ve learned to find a balance and eliminate the negative habits.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I have my hands in all departments of the restaurant. Whether it’s the dinner, brunch, tastings, private events, I’m always apart of it. I consider myself to be the R&D chef of the restaurant. I would say I’m tied between specializing in pasta and dishes involving Asian driven flavors. However, I work on dishes that can fall under any sort of cuisine. That’s one of the reasons why I have stayed at this restaurant for so long. Chef Neal has allowed the menu to run open, not focusing on one general type of cuisine, but many. Dishes can contain flavors from different cultures. As long as it’s delicious and unique to the restaurant, it goes on the menu. I most proud of the person and chef I’ve become. It’s been a journey and there’s still a lot of growing and learning to do. There’s nothing more satisfying than hearing how great your food is from a guest or how you’ve inspired a young cook to push through their own culinary journey. I think what sets me apart from others is my drive and creativity. I study a lot in hopes that next dish I work on is something not only satisfying to myself but to the guest as well. I know that I have trust in the other chefs and cooks as a leader. A lot goes down at Redbird and a lot can happen, all at once. I’m always there to make sure everything runs smoothly and to make sure all teams of the restaurant are getting the help they need.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
Not sure if I believe in luck. I worked hard to get where I’m at and to become the person that I am today. I’m very fortunate to have come across Chef Neal and our Chef de Cuisine, Jason Bowlin, for supporting me and allowing me to grow within their business and life as well. Over the years they’ve pretty much given me the keys to their kingdom and allowed me to run the place to the best of my ability
Contact Info:
- Website: https://redbird.la/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/john.gronkiewicz/
Image Credits
Redbird
