John Schenk of Strip House

This is 10 Things You Didn't Know About?, where Eater Vegas talks to the fine chefs of Las Vegas to get some dirt on everything interesting their lives. Know an interesting chef? The tipline is open.

It only seems appropriate that Buffalo native John Schenk got his start in the kitchens of New York City. He turned around the kitchen at West Broadway. He paid his dues at Monkey Bar for another turnaround there. He opened his own restaurant, Clementine. Then he jumped over to the corporate side, first moving to Houston to oversee the menu and operations of Strip House, and now heading up restaurants in New York, New Jersey, Florida, Las Vegas and Texas. This cat is interesting. Here’s 10 things you didn’t know about John Schenk.

1. I taught high school English, specifically poetry  .

2. Favorite food: rocky road ice cream

3. I grew up on a cabbage farm making sauerkraut and horseradish.

4. I hate eggs. I can only eat them scrambled hard.

5. I was chased by a baboon in Kenya.

6. I once ate a plateful of lobster antennae in Panama. It was the only thing offered that evening in a town’s only restaurant. I manned up and got’r down!

7. I was in a Pam commercial.

8. I’m a tennis NUT.

9. I was named Food and Wine’s Top 10 Chef in 1994 at Monkey Bar.

10. I have four dogs: Tiny, Daisy, Lovey and Peabody.
· All Coverage of Strip House [~ELV~]
· All Coverage of 10 Things [~ELV~]
John Schenk [Photo: Strip House]