Johnny Monis

 

New kid on the block Johnny Monis is carving out new territory in the Washington, D.C., restaurant world.

By Jennifer Treuting

Photo Credit Jamie McCarthy/Wireimage.com

Chef Johnny Monis

Specialty: American cuisine with Greek influences

This brand-new wunderkind burst onto the Washington, D.C., culinary scene in 2004 at the tender age of 24 with the restaurant Komi. Since then, Johnny Monis’s star has only gotten brighter.

Prior to opening Komi (which was named for a beach near his grandmother’s house in Greece), Monis worked for awhile at McCrady’s in Charleston, one of the more renowned restaurants in South Carolina. Culinary school was what originally brought him there, and McCrady’s was supposed to be a side job. After a year at Johnson & Wales University, though, he dropped out: Monis was learning far more in the kitchen.

Bold moves like these have marked Monis’s short career. Shortly after opening Komi, he reduced the number of seats and changed the menu, making it more upscale. This risky move paid off, allowing the chef more control as well as creating a new following of customers.

There’s not as much risk involved as you’d think, when you take a moment to look more closely at Monis and his decisions. Though young, the chef has a clear vision of what he wants his restaurant to be, as well as an idea of where he’s going as a culinary professional. Careful thought and care are put into the selection of ingredients: Monis uses five kinds of olive oil, and all pastas are handmade. There are no shortcuts in this kitchen.

This dedication to the craft earned Monis a nod for Food & Wine’s list of Best New Chefs in 2007. In 2008, he was nominated for the James Beard Foundation’s Rising Star Chef of the Year Award.