Biography
Besh was born in Meridian, Mississippi, and raised in south Louisiana. He loved to hunt and also fish. In 1986, John graduated from St. Stanislaus College High School (Bay St Louis, MS), and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps as a reservist. He also attended Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge and was a member of Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. He studied at the Culinary Institute of America, graduating in 1992. Called to active duty for 10 months in 1990 to serve in the Middle East, he was a non-commissioned officer during Operation Desert Storm, and participated in the capture of Kuwait International Airport. He studied in Germany with Karl Josef Fuchs at the Michelin-starred Romantik Hotel Spielweg. Besh has also studied in the south of France with Alain Assaud.
As the father of four sons—Brendan, Jack, Luke, and Andrew—Besh takes breaks from some of New Orleans' most popular restaurants to continue a longstanding family tradition: fishing. In an interview, Besh says he wants his sons to understand the origin of local foods and the knowledge of food at its source. "My sons think I'm crazy," he says, laughing, "because I want them to learn how to make a roux and a gumbo."
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