Executive Chef & Director of Operations: John Wright Restaurant
By Jim Switzenberg

Tell us about yourself and your culinary journey. What inspired you to become a chef, and how did your career begin?
I’ve been cooking for about as long as I can remember. I helped cook for every family holiday starting at age six, and I fell in love with it then. I worked my way through local pizza joints as a teenager and spent two years at F&M before deciding the classroom wasn’t where I wanted to be. I left to attend the Culinary Institute of America and graduated in 1992, which is really where my career began in earnest. After the CIA, I moved to Houston and worked alongside some of the country’s most respected chefs, which set off a decade of travel, from Houston to LA to New York City, working in high-volume fine dining kitchens the whole way. I opened my first restaurant in New Jersey, which didn’t survive, so I moved back to Texas and ran food service for the Texas Tech Athletic Department, feeding thousands of people every week. That experience taught me a completely different kind of discipline. Eventually I came back to Pennsylvania and started teaching at Yorktown Business Institute. From there I built Taste Catering, which at its peak managed Ric’s Breads, Penn State York Dining, and The Brunswick Hotel while running off-premises catering events several times a week. Then I had the opportunity to run HACC’s culinary program; I rewrote the curriculum in my first two years and made HACC the first Central PA school to earn ACF accreditation. While I was there, I also taught culinary classes in Spain and Italy and consulted on the side. In 2010, the Mann family asked me to consult at John Wright Restaurant. Six months and a lot of work later, I decided to leave teaching for good and come back to the restaurant business full time. As Director of Operations and Executive Chef, I’ve grown John Wright from a 100-seat casual dining restaurant into two 200-seat restaurants, a 200-person banquet hall, and, most recently, a wood-fired pizza truck.

Was there a mentor, chef, family member, or role model who influenced your path? How did they shape the way you approach your craft today?
It really started at home, cooking holiday meals from the time I was six years old. That’s where the love of it came from. Formally, the CIA gave me the technical foundation, but it was the chefs I worked alongside in Houston, some of the most respected in the country, who shaped how I actually run a kitchen. And to this day, one of the dishes I’m proudest of, our gumbo, I learned directly from the chef at Mother’s in the French Quarter in New Orleans. Between those influences, I learned that real skill comes from time spent next to people who know more than you, which is exactly the philosophy I’ve tried to build into John Wright. I worked with Tim Keating at La Reserve in Houston, which was Omni Hotels’ top restaurant.  He encouraged me to move around and learn under as many restaurants as I could until I became an Executive Chef or Owner.  He told me to stay at least a year but not more than two.  I followed his advice, and it worked for my career.

Every restaurant has a story. What is the story behind your restaurant, and what makes it unique?
What makes John Wright unique is our dedication to fresh ingredients and avoiding chemicals, preservatives, and GMOs. Everything is made in-house, from our ice creams to our deli meats. We cure and smoke everything ourselves, including all of our sausages, and our pasta is made fresh daily. Even our food scraps don’t go to waste. They feed local pigs. We’ve built strong, lasting relationships with local producers who supply us with Wagyu beef, turkey, eggs, honey, peanut butter, cheese, and vegetables, and many of these farmers have been selling to the restaurant for 15 years. Our fish program brings us whole fish weekly, going from boat to plate in just two to three days. We’re also very diet-conscious: most of our menu is gluten-free or can be made gluten-free with minor changes.

What do you hope guests experience or feel when they visit your restaurant?
I hope every diner can taste that our food is made with care, and that they know exactly where it comes from. When you’re eating something we cured ourselves, or a fish that was on a boat two days ago, or vegetables from a farmer we’ve worked with for 15 years, that’s a different experience than eating something anonymous. I want people to leave feeling like they were fed by people who genuinely care about the ingredients, the community, and about getting it right.

What has been one of the most rewarding moments or accomplishments in your culinary career?
Honestly, one of my proudest achievements is looking around my kitchen and seeing chefs and managers who learned everything they know right here at John Wright. Chef Austin started as a dishwasher ten years ago and didn’t even eat fish at the time. Now he fabricates every whole fish that comes into our kitchen, including a 100-pound halibut we filmed for Facebook. This year, for the first time, I wasn’t part of the menu changes at all. Chef Zack and Chef Austin took 100 percent responsibility for their menus, including staff training and writing recipes. My kitchen manager, Blake, also started as a dishwasher ten years ago, and he now handles all of our ordering, scheduling, and building maintenance. Watching people like that grow into responsible leaders who train new staff every day, that’s the accomplishment I’m most proud of.

How has the Lancaster community influenced your journey, and what does being part of this community mean to you?
Lancaster is my hometown, so getting to bring a lifetime of experience, from Houston to LA to New York to Texas Tech and everywhere in between, back here means a great deal to me. The community is also woven directly into what we serve: many of our farmers and producers have been supplying the restaurant for 15 years. That kind of relationship doesn’t happen without a community that values local food and shows up for it. Being part of that, and giving back to it through the restaurant, is something I don’t take for granted.

What advice would you give to someone who hopes to pursue a career in the culinary industry?
Put in the time on the line before you worry about anything else. Formal training matters; the CIA gave me a foundation I still rely on, but the real education happens standing next to chefs who know more than you and paying attention. I also tell people not to be afraid of the jobs that don’t look glamorous. Some of the best cooks in my kitchen right now started as dishwashers. If you’re willing to learn every station, earn trust, and stick with it, the industry will make room for you. The restaurant industry is demanding and requires dedication.  Don’t do it unless you love it.  You will be working long hours, on holidays and on weekends.  You will have time off when everyone else is working and most restaurants are closed.  I personally would choose no other life, and I am happy going into work every day, as is my staff.  

What can attendees look forward to tasting or learning from you during Culinary Night at Kegel’s Produce?
I’ll be making our gumbo, which I learned from the chef at Mother’s in the French Quarter in New Orleans. It’s been a staple on our menu for over ten years, and I’m looking forward to sharing some of the secrets behind it with everyone at Culinary Night.

What does the phrase “Next Generation” mean to you?
To me, “Next Generation” is what this restaurant is built on. It’s Chef Austin going from a dishwasher who wouldn’t eat fish to someone who fabricates every whole fish we bring in. It’s Chef Zack and Austin taking full ownership of our menus, training, and recipes this year without me involved at all. It’s Blake going from washing dishes to running our ordering, scheduling, and facilities. Every day, these are the people training the next round of new staff on basic skills. That cycle, of growing your own people until they can run the show, is what “Next Generation” means at John Wright.

This conversation highlights the value of perseverance, meaningful relationships, and a willingness to embrace new opportunities. His journey reflects how mentorship, community engagement, and a servant-minded approach can create lasting impact both professionally and personally. Through his work and involvement throughout Lancaster County, he continues to help businesses thrive while investing in the people and relationships that make the community strong.