Johnny and Regan are natives of the central and southern tier of New York. Johnny grew up in Binghamton and Regan grew up in Trumansburg. They met in 2013 while working in the restaurant industry in Ithaca and have been together ever since.
After a few years of working in restaurants in Ithaca they decided to branch out and hone their skills in the big city. They moved to New York City in hopes of gaining more knowledge and experience in an industry they both love so much. Johnny worked in kitchens all over the city for amazing chefs and Regan managed a cafe for a large hospitality group.
When COVID hit, New York City and its restaurants were hit particularly hard. Though they both lost their jobs because of COVID they saw it as an opportunity. They had soaked up so much new knowledge that they knew it was time to return home, put down roots and go into business for themselves!
“It is an honor to be able to serve our community and have a restaurant of our own in an area where we both grew up in and love! The soul purpose of our little restaurant is to bring joy and delicious food to the Finger Lakes area and we will do our very best to provide that every single minute we are open. Johnny’s Kitchen is a culmination of a lot of hard work, our joint dream and an extremely supportive and loving family with which we would not be here without. Thank you to everyone who has helped us along the way. We hope to see you at Johnny’s Kitchen soon! ”
-Owners Regan Allen and John Readling