JOHN L. ANDERSON

After his graduation from 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 very busy and extremely successful restaurant, and according to Chef Anderson, "my 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 another great opportunity when in 1996, I became the Executive Chef at Husch in Narberth."

After Striped Bass, 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 Solaris Grille in Chestnut Hill and two years later was the owner, growing the business into one of the best restaurants in the City.

John’s success has made him one of the leading restaurateurs in the Philadelphia region, owning and operating several restaurants including Tequila Joe’s in Oreland, Solaris Grille in Chestnut Hill and Center Square and Chiquita Loco in West Conshohocken. How can he handle all of these successful restaurants? “Great staff, systems that work, and a love of what I’m doing. “ His passion, love and drive to provide the best dining experience for his guests is the key to his success.