After his graduation at the Culinary Institute of America and apprenticeship with Daniel Boulud in New York, John Anderson found himself looking for a job in Philadelphia, and by chance, happened upon a gentlemen cleaning the windows of a new restaurant on Walnut Street. What made this event unusual was that the man was wearing a suit, and when John asked about the restaurant, the window cleaner introduced himself as Neil Stein, the owner of the about to be famous Striped Bass. "I was really impressed, and my immediate reaction was you have to love a guy this devoted to his business, and I wanted to work for him."

Neil Stein hired him in 1994, and almost immediately John became a Sous Chef at this now very busy and extremely successful restaurant, and according to Chef Anderson, "the time spent at Striped Bass proved to be an invaluable experience." "I learned so much about this business in a very short time, and still value the great times spent on Walnut Street." "It did lead to what seemed like another great opportunity when in 1996, I became the Executive Chef at Husch in Narberth."

"While one can argue about the move in light of the final outcome of this restaurant, it also proved to be a great learning experience." We won ‘Best of Philly’ for my seared Ostrich with foie Gras, and we consistently received wonderful reviews for our food." After the demise of Husch, John consulted on several restaurant projects in Philadelphia, donated his time to charitable events, and taught some classes, which is part of his passion for food. In 1998, John was named Executive Chef of the Solaris Grille in Chestnut Hill.

"Without being too presumptuous, I would like to be the Bruce Cooper of Chestnut Hill. I realize this area will never be another Manayunk, but like Jake’s, I see some similarities in our respective situations, and I hope to establish a long running success story known for wonderful food and service."