Chad Johnson, Executive Chef, SideBern’s

Although he is probably one of the youngest executive chefs in the Tampa Bay area, this 28 year old’s modern Mediterranean cuisine is already creating a new culinary chapter at SideBern’s.

Chad grew up in Paducah, Kentucky, where he became enamored of the restaurant business because his best friend’s family owned a local restaurant.  There he learned how important the dining experience could be.

He attended the French Culinary Institute in New York where he learned from culinary luminaries like Jacques Pépin, Jacques Torres & Andre Soltner, the legendary restaurateur who founded Lutèce.  After he graduated, he worked in both Layla and Montrachet’s modern kitchens where he learned to manage staffing and costs.

Today Chad utilizes the classic flavor profiles of the Mediterranean combined with modern, progressive culinary techniques to create SideBern's delicious cuisine.  Not only does he care where all of the products used at SideBern’s are from, he is also utilizing Bern’s farm more than ever before and he is going to plant an herb garden outside the kitchen this summer.  “You know how terrific a tomato from your own garden tastes? Or how fantastic fresh fish and seafood is?  I want to bring that experience into SideBern’s, every single day for our guests.”