Chef John Besh:

The Man Behind Besh Steak

In July 2003, after months of anticipation, a steakhouse opened at the popular Harrah’s Casino in the heart of New Orleans. 

It didn’t look like a typical steakhouse, and the menu certainly didn’t read like that of a typical steakhouse.  That is because Chef John Besh – who gives his name to Besh Steak – is not a typical steakhouse chef. 

A native of Louisiana, John Besh was trained at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America.  He furthered his education in the kitchens of such renowned establishments as Maxim’s in New York and, closer to home, at The Grill Room of The Windsor Court, in New Orleans.   A tour in the United States Marine Corps Reserves found him leading a squad of infantry Marines into combat as a noncommissioned officer in Operation Desert Storm, where his platoon was almost certainly the only one reading food magazines at the front. 

Besh’s love of classical cooking styles, together with his “born on the Bayou” Creole heritage, drew him to Europe for further culinary exploration and training.  In the Black Forest region of Germany, Besh completed a two-year apprenticeship under the direction of famed chef Karl Josef Fuchs.  This was his first exposure to truly localized cuisine, a concept that remains essential to his cooking and menu development.   He also spent time in the south of France, refining his classical sensibilities under Alain Assaud, while the flavorful stews and roasts of the region informed his understanding of his own native cuisine, the Creole cooking of southern Louisiana. 

Once back in his home state, Besh’s talent blossomed to the delight of his patrons, and to the acclaim of the national food press: in 1998, Food & Wine named him one of the “Top 10 Best New Chefs In America.”  He has received top honors, as well, from Condé Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, The New York Times, Gourmet, and The New Orleans Times-Picayune for his work as Executive Chef at Restaurant August, opened in the fall of 2001 not far from Harrah’s in the Central Business District. In 2004, he was crowned “King of American Seafood,” and serves as spokesman for the Louisiana Seafood Council.  Chef Besh received a nomination for a James Beard Award in 2005, and won the Beard Award for Best Chef of the Southeast in 2006.  He defeated Chef Mario Batali on Iron Chef America on The Food Network, scoring a victory in the andouille sausage battle.  Besh is active in a state promotional program created by Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu, who tapped the chef to prepare meals with the media in an effort to showcase the cuisine of Louisiana.  In early 2007, he purchased the legendary La Provence in Lacombe, Louisiana from his mentor, Chef Chris Kerageorgiou; shortly thereafter, he launched Lüke, a venture that revives the grand New Orleans brasserie tradition. 

At Besh Steak, Chef Besh and his Chef de Cuisine Alon Shaya relish the opportunity to explore their creativity within the traditional definition of an all-American institution.  The food is good serious meat and potatoes, but infused with the whimsy and humor for which Besh has become known:  an appetizer called “Steak & Fries” is actually a dollop of steak tartare, a quail egg, and crisp potatoes;  the “Surf & Turf” on the menu features a “Lobster Knuckle Sandwich.”  Naturally, the offerings also reflect the locale, rich in seafood and New Orleans flavors: The Besh Barbequed Shrimp, served with warm French bread, rivals that served by the most venerated old restaurants in town.  Oysters abound on the menu, from raw on the half-shell to a savory appetizer roasted with horseradish and parmesan.  Crabmeat appears in an intriguing “Cobbler” paired with Apple Bacon, as well as a potato-crusted soft shell variety…  

The challenge of creating a new steakhouse, a new menu, and new expectations seemed only to drive Besh to achieve even greater heights.  As Bon Appétit reported shortly after it opened, “This summer broke a long dry spell for big-deal new restaurant openings….Already a huge hit is Besh Steak.”