It’s been a long journey…
The name “Bad Johnny” was given to our Executive Chef, John Pragalz, around the time he got his first cooking job at Spiro’s Deli at the age of 14. His rebellious nature caused him to get into a lot of trouble, but it also pushed him to chart his own path and ultimately led him on a culinary adventure across the country and overseas.
About 20 years ago, John picked up his first piece of dough in a slice shop outside Philadelphia. Since then, he’s made pizza all over the U.S. and Europe, learning from and leading the best along the way. After moving to New York, he seized opportunities at Co. (Company) in Manhattan and Roberta’s in Brooklyn and rose to Sous Chef at both. At Co., under renowned baker Jim Lahey, John learned to treat the pizza dough as bread and place the utmost importance on the quality and balance of the ingredients. At Roberta’s, he learned to build pies and community and see the real impact a restaurant can have on a city - and beyond. It was also at Roberta’s where he joined the mobile team, feeding people by the thousands in the parks and festivals around New York.
When he didn’t have dough or a peel in his hands, John spent time cooking in Williamsburg at Aurora Ristorante and Allswell. After New York, he spent four months in Europe at 14 different operations in Ireland, Paris, London, and Italy, absorbing everything along the way from fine dining to local family restaurants. Then, the final stop on the tour brought him to Naples, the mecca for pizzaioli, to make pizza with the masters.
Upon return to Chicago, he joined the teams at Juno and Sixteen. But, before he had the chance to settle in, he went overseas again to Hvar, Croatia, to open and lead a new restaurant called 50. With full creative and executive control, John made big waves along the Adriatic coast and took 50 to the #2 spot on TripAdvisor for the 2015 season. After Croatia, he returned to New York with a new focus on wine and hospitality, joining Jonathan Benno first at Lincoln Ristorante, then on the opening Management team of Leonelli at the Evelyn Hotel.
Always with an eye towards the Midwest, the time finally came to bring it all back home to Chicago, to make the food he loves in the city he loves the most. Now, it’s the start of a new journey, albeit in a familiar place, and he couldn’t be happier to be here.
John Pragalz is a graduate of Villanova’s School of Business and the founder of Concrete Productions, a Hospitality company focused on turning the next generation’s food and beverage dreams into realities. He also supports Chicago’s Mercy Home for Boys & Girls as an Associate Board Member and annual marathoner and encourages you to do the same: