Today we’d like to introduce you to Jon Oh.
Hi Jon, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I went to school at Ohio University and moved to Chicago afterwards to begin working as an analyst/consultant. After quickly learning that I was not built to work behind a desk, I decided to move to New York City and begin cooking. I went to the French Culinary Institute in Manhattan and pushed through many focused and refined kitchens. These kitchens included: The Mark by Jean Georges, August by Marcus Samuelsson, The Lambs Club by Geoffrey Zakarian and Scarpetta by LDV Hospitality. After spending over a decade in New York and getting married, I was ready for a change of pace. My wife and I decided to move to Austin for its culture and exciting growth potential. I spent some time looking around Austin and ended up taking the chef position at what was then Sophia’s. Soon after that, Jack Zimmermann and Nova Hospitality rebranded Sophia’s to Devil May Care and gave me the opportunity to oversee all culinary operations for Nova Hospitality.
As the Director of Culinary Operations at Nova, I have the opportunity to explore diverse palettes and challenge my skills as a chef on a daily basis. My role is to oversee all cuisine at our properties here in Austin including Devil May Care, a destination for innovative cocktails and sexy, yet relaxed lounge, TenTen, an elevated Japanese sushi experience, and The Well, a flavored-focused, nutrition-driven restaurant. Because of the wide variety between our properties, I have to be able to switch gears quickly and stay fresh on all types of food in order to have distinction between all of our menus. This also means working in different kitchens and with different staff daily. I am most impressed with our team and truly believe our success at Nova comes from the amazing group of chefs, front of house and back of house staff that make magic on a daily basis. I love the diversity of my work, the people I work with and being always on my toed. It is such a pleasure to oversee Culinary Operations at Nova and bring to life providing exceptional dining experiences to Austin through decadent cuisine within thoughtfully curated ambiances. We have many more exciting projects on the horizon!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
The largest challenge I’ve ever faced in my life was when my father suffered a stroke that eventually led to his passing. His first stroke really shook up our family and it was difficult being far from him. My father was resilient and made great progress to get back to as normal as possible. His second stroke hit like a ton of bricks. I was in the middle of opening a restaurant in Philadelphia and this really took a toll on me. Having to focus was practically impossible. Again, my father did really well, as much as he could do in the situation. He was well enough to be with me for my wedding in New York. Shortly after my wife and I moved to Austin, my father passed away. He has always been the person I’ve tried to emulate in everything I do. It’s a constant battle every day without him, but I could not be any luckier to have had someone who taught me so much growing up.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Director of Culinary Operations Nova Hospitality.
What were you like growing up?
I grew up in a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. In a family of two very loving parents and two very close older sisters. I had a lot of support from my family my whole life and our family was always our first priority. Growing up, many of my memories go back to meals around the dinner table with my family, making handmade dumplings and grilling steaks on the back patio with my father. Food has always been at the center of our time together and I continue to live out my father’s legacy as a Chef.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.novahospitalitygroup.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/novahospitality/
Image Credits
Letitia Smith TenTen, James Johnson
