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Chef John (John Mitzewich)

John Mitzewich, known as Chef John, teaches home cooks through Food Wishes, pairing close-up recipe videos with practical kitchen lessons and a sense of humor.

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John’s happenings, collected from public sources, plus their backstory and Starbook, where fans write.

Known for

Overview

Known as: Chef John of Food Wishes
Work: Chef, cooking teacher, and recipe video creator
Online since: Food Wishes launched in 2007
Breakout: A 2008 fromage blanc video featured on YouTube’s homepage
Milestone: Allrecipes acquired Food Wishes in 2011

Mini bio

A teacher first.

Before Food Wishes, John Mitzewich worked in hospitality and taught at the California Culinary Academy. In their 2025 Reddit AMA, they described discovering a love for teaching there and leaving to share those lessons with a larger audience online.

Letting the food lead.

Food Wishes began in 2007. Chef John chose close-up cooking and narration so viewers could concentrate on the food. In an early blog post revealing their face, they promised that the recipes would keep that focus. The name also makes room for fans: viewers send in the dishes they wish they could cook.

Finding an audience.

A 2008 lesson on making fromage blanc became an early breakthrough when YouTube featured it on its homepage. Allrecipes announced its acquisition of Food Wishes in August 2011. By July 2017, the channel had passed two million subscribers.

More ways to cook along.

Alongside the recipe videos and written recipes, Chef John co-hosted The Chef John Podcast with food photographer Andrew Scrivani. Their conversations brought together food stories, personal memories, and the experiences behind the cooking.

Creditschronological, newest first

Online cooking

2024Chef John’s 11 Best Recipes of 2024Featured chef and recipe creator
2011Food Wishes joins AllrecipesFood Wishes creator
2008How to Make Fresh Cheese (Fromage Blanc)Recipe creator and instructor
2007Food WishesCreator and cooking teacher

Podcasts

2021The Chef John PodcastCo-host with Andrew Scrivani

Awards

2011 Tasty AwardFood Wishes won Best Home Chef in a Series. Chef John thanked viewers for voting in a January 14, 2011 blog post.

Quotes

I will not deviate from my original vision of what these videos should be about…the food.Chef John, Food Wishes, August 25, 2007

Explaining why revealing their face would not change the recipe videos.

Trivia

Before Food Wishes, Chef John worked with friends on a site called Wish Upon a Stove.
The channel’s name reflects viewers’ requests for dishes they wish they could make.
Chef John initially used a photoshopped George Clooney picture on the blog before sharing their own portrait in 2007.
In 2010, Chef John’s All-American Lamb Moussaka Burger won the American Lamb Board’s Get Your Grill On video competition.