Gastronomy

Jonah’s Kitchen

Jonah Johnson of Jonah’s Kitchen + Bar

A pioneer in BBQ fusion

Hills Views and Valleys recently sat down with Jonah Johnson of Jonah’s Kitchen + Bar to discuss everything from life’s inspirations, dreams, and passions as well as, of course, food and everything about his approach to cuisine. A pioneer in BBQ fusion, Jonah Johnson’s vast experiences shaped his restaurant’s approach to food and embodies an exploratory, try-it-first approach to discovery.

This much is evident as soon as patrons take one glance at the restaurant’s menu. When we asked him what inspired him, he told us, “Growing up, the idea of a big bonfire and cookout always gave some joy and warm feelings. It’s celebrating and honoring your family and friends by taking the time to share stories, laughter, love, and developing yourself and your ideas and it’s all centered around a wood fire.
Guests can sense this spirit as soon as they enter Jonah’s Kitchen + Bar where the theme of the bonfire and cookout continues.

“Then it’s time to eat the food that’s been prepared over the wood coals and in my opinion, there is absolutely no better way to prepare food than over burning wood. The flavors and nostalgia will always bring you back. I want to continue to share that with others and when it comes to cooking for me it’s not just about the food but the experience that comes along with it,” Jonah tells HVV.

In particular, fusing the essence of different cultures into his BBQ drives a lot of his passion. It is this sense of shared humanity and cultural heritage that, again, brings us back to the bonfire and the BBQ prepared by its side.

“All cultures are similar in that they have their own way of BBQ’ing and I’m interested in experiencing everyone in the woods’ way of doing it. I want to taste foods from around the world and be inspired to adopt some of those methods and flavors into my own cooking. The preparation of food is phenomenal to me.”

Naturally, this requires an intense focus on top-quality ingredients that are not only authentic to the palate but complementary with one another on the broader menu. Bringing together these different elements isn’t easy, but Jonah’s Kitchen & Bar makes it happen and with aplomb.

“My approach to cuisine is the balance and simplicity of ingredients and flavors. I prefer not to overindulge in the ingredients and rather watch over them as they roast and let them speak for themselves with the slight addition of flavors. I am only the conductor and possibly the background singer to the ingredients. The ingredients are the star of the show!”

One theme that patrons may notice when tying the various elements together is a nod toward Korean cuisine, something Johnson readily acknowledges. Curious, we asked him if there were any plans on introducing KFC (Korean fried chicken, a sensation in its own right) to the menu anytime soon.

“Yes, I do love Korean flavors. I lived in Korea town Los Angeles for over a decade, years back as a young man. I discovered Korean BBQ long before it was popular in LA amongst the younger generation of Koreans and I absolutely fell in love with it. Koreans are masters of BBQ and I’ve been incorporating Korean flavors into my food since then. No plans for KFC as of yet!

Although he did add, “…I regularly drive back to Korea town to get those wings from Kyochon Chicken.”

When pressed about recommending a dish, any dish, for our readers, Johnson highlighted “K-town Chicken and Lomo SALTADO” as a must-try.
Speaking of Los Angeles, we were more than curious about some of Johson’s star studded guests and he had two stories to share with us, one involving none other than Rolling Stones legend Mick Jagger and the other legendary director Steven Spielberg.

As for the Jagger encounter, Jonah tells us “I’m cooking dinner for a great friend of mine in my outdoor woodfire brick oven in LA. He asked if it were ok if he brought a friend in town with him? The answer is always, ‘absolutely!’ A man walks into my kitchen and says ‘Mate, have you got any soup?’”

“I turn around and it’s Mick Jagger!”

What about the soup, we have to wonder.

“I laughed and said, ‘I do.’ Luckily, I roasted Butternut squash and cauliflower in my brick oven and made a soup with it.”

As for Steven Spielberg, “I was cooking on the set of Catch Me If You Can. I was told by my guy to make my special BBQ Ribs for the entire production. Reluctantly I rose to the challenge and later that evening.”

“As I’m packing up, Steven Spielberg walks by abruptly with his headphones, notes, and a group of assistants. He stops on a dime, turns to me with BBQ sauce all over his mouth and face and says, ‘Those are the best ribs I’ve ever had… and I know ribs! Save some for my wife!’ and he walks off. Pretty good feeling as a young cook.”

That’s a pretty storied career for most of us, but Jonah has no intention of stopping there. As for the future of Jonah’s Kitchen & Bar, he tells HVV:

“I would like to open Jonah’s kitchen in several different communities around the city, nation, and perhaps the world to share my love….but only enough where I can honestly spend quality time at each and every one of them.”

As always, he stresses, the food needs to be at the center of the experience. In that spirit, he advocates a try-now-ask-later approach or, in other words, be brave and bold when it comes to your food and you can start with this awesome recipe from Jonah Johnson for K-Town Chicken:

Directions:

If you can, brine your chicken overnight. 5% salt to water (easy) keeps your meat moist and tasty.

Light up your grill with real wood or charcoals

Lemon and salt on the chicken and grill over indirect heat for about 45 min or until 85% dove

For the last few minutes, baste with the sauce (KBBQ) until it becomes slightly burnt and tacky. Enjoy with rice, Kimchi, or whatever you like.

(Korean BBQ Sauce for cooking chicken)

1 cup Gochujang

1/2 cup Honey

1/4 cup Sesame Oil

1/4 Soy Sauce

1 cup Orange Juice

TBs Ginger Fresh

TBs Garlic Fresh

Blend until smooth

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