Joseph Johnson
Charcoal Venice | Los Angeles
June 2017
Growing up in Virginia, Joseph Johnson recalls learning classic French cooking from his Southern grandmother—memories that point to the origins of his all-encompassing passion for food and hospitality.
Teenaged Johnson began his professional career in the dish pit at a hotel restaurant near his hometown of Petersburg. He persuaded the chefs to let him help out in the kitchen, eventually working his way up to executive chef before turning 19. But he still had a lot of learning to do.
Inspired by a vacation, Johnson moved to Southern California and quickly enrolled in the Le Cordon Bleu in Pasadena. While in school, Johnson worked at the Pasadena Hilton and externed at Savory in Malibu under James Beard Award-winning Chef Paul Shoemaker. From there, he began a stage at Michelin-starred Mélisse in Santa Monica, becoming Chef Josiah Citrin’s sous chef in little more than a year. Johnson thrived under Citrin’s mentorship and honed his fine-dining repertoire.
In 2015, Citrin opened Charcoal Venice and enlisted Johnson as his chef de cuisine. A decidedly more casual affair—but no less technical—Johnson executes a menu driven by smoke, char, simplicity, and pure California ingredients.
