The meez Podcast JJ Johnson on How Rice is Culture
#41. Welcome to the first episode of season two of The meez Podcast! We are excited to introduce our first guest, JJ Johnson. JJ is a James Beard Award-winning chef, TV Personality, and Author best known for his barrier-breaking cuisine informed by the Caribbean flavors of his upbringing. He has been featured on multiple television shows, and has his television show called 'Just Eats with Chef JJ’ on CLEO TV.
Chef JJ's cookbook with Danica Novgorodof, "The Simple Art of Rice: Recipes from Around the World for the Heart of Your Table," was listed as one of New York Times Best Cookbooks in 2023. Chef JJ’s signature cooking style combines culturally relevant ingredients and classical techniques with a global point of view.
At FIELDTRIP, his made-to-order rice bowl shop that debuted in 2019, Chef JJ
highlights rice as a hero ingredient and showcases it in recipes sourced from around the
world. As one of the only fast-casual restaurants on Esquire’s “America’s Best New
Restaurants” list in 2020, FIELDTRIP utilizes sustainable ingredients and ethically
sourced vegetables and proteins, creating a flavorful and diverse dining experience.
The brand’s motto, "Rice is Culture,” was born out of Chef JJ’s belief that rice is the
universal ingredient that connects us all and can be found at the center of the table in
almost every community.
In this episode, JJ and CEO of meez, Josh Sharkey, talk a lot about the restaurant, the story behind the dishes, different kinds of rice, and how JJ is overcoming some of the challenges of scaling FieldTrip to multiple locations. They also discuss how becoming a parent can make you a better leader, and thinking about how Josh and JJ's kids getting into the food business makes them feel. We hope you enjoy the show!
Where to find JJ Johnson:
Where to find host Josh Sharkey:
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In this episode, we cover:
(03:30) Puerto Rican ingredients and the headache to try and order them in the states
(04:52) All about FieldTrip
(07:10) The varieties of rice featured on the menu
(07:59) JJ's goal of identifying rice farmers
(09:42) The beauty of a simple menu
(11:50) The ins and outs of properly cooking rice
(17:35) Lessons learned from scaling FieldTrip
(22:03) How FieldTrip is about empowering its employees
(31:04) How parenting influences leadership
(40:12) Crunchy rice in different cultures
(44:26) What five years from now looks like for JJ
(45:51) Auditing personal growth