About Us

Desi Vega, the managing partner, grew up in the restaurant business and was "groomed" by Miss Ella Brennan at Commander's Palace, Miss Ruth Fertel of Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, and most recently by Emeril Lagasse. His attention to detail and commitment to excellence makes for a truly memorable dining experience.

Rodney Salvaggio, Mr. John's son -in-law, owned and operated the very popular, "Smilie"s, in Jefferson Parish for 25 years. Paul Varisco has a love for food and been in the restaurant supply business for the last 12 years. It was he who brought the partners together to continue Mr. John's name. Desi knows that all steak houses are compared to Ruth's Chris and is determined to do what it takes to make Mr. John's, the new "local" steak house.

About Our Chef


Chef Matt Thomas recently returned to his native New Orleans from New York. Matt's love of food and the restaurant business began while working his way throughout college at LSU. After graduating, he decided to pursue his passion by enrolling in the French Culinary Institute's Italian Culinary Arts program. Mat spent months in New York learning classic Italian cooking techniques, then moved to Parma, Italy, where he studied Italian wine and food culture. Matt then returned to New York to work under the tutelage of world renowned chef, Tom Colicchio. He worked his way through the kitchen of Craft (one of Tom's Manhattan locations) and moved up to Craft Bar where he worked as assistant sous-chef.

Chef Matt has always known what it means "to miss New Orleans" and wanted to bring all that he learned back to the "Big Easy". The creativity and knowledge he gained in New York and Italy shows in his seasonal additions
that compliment Mr. John's famous steak menu. Never compromising, always using the finest and freshest ingredients, Chef Matt believes in the "farm to the table" philosophy. He is always searching for local products.
Matt is very excited to be part of the "Mr. John's Family".