Tell us more about who you all are and what you do?
My name is Melvin, BOOTS Johnson and I am a chef who is inspired by my
grandmother’s home-cooked meals. I started cooking back when I was 14. My parents
opened a barbecue restaurant back in Compton and I started cooking there after school. I
opened my first restaurant when I was 28 in San Diego, called the Juke joint Café. It was
a Soul Food place where I experimented a lot with different cooking methods and
equipment to perfect my craft. Later I moved to Las Vegas to operate my own BBQ food
truck, Slow Cal BBQ. Then I transitioned back into restaurants and became an executive
chef for a restaurant inside the Venetian Hotel.
I landed an Executive Chef role at Queens Bully, which is how I came to New York City.
My BBQ skills caught the attention of the New York culinary scene. In 2018, I was invited
to compete in the Chopped Grill Master Championship where I took home the title!
I’m now trying to move over to be more of a restaurateur in my older age. In addition to
BBQ, My style is Cajun/Creole, Southern, and contemporary flavors. In 2020 during the
pandemic, I lost my chef job and launched Harlem Biscuit Company as a call-in, takeout-
only operation—right out of my home’s garage. Word spread fast, and before long, I
opened a spot in Harlem. I am also the Executive Chef at the Victoria Restaurant inside
the Renaissance Harlem NY Hotel and I own the BBQ restaurant Boots and Bones in St.
Croix, part of USVI.
How has being a chef made you the man you are today?
I always say being a chef is not a job, it’s a lifestyle. My life is surrounded by food ,and
not necessarily just food, but more so that energy of nurturing, giving, celebrating life
with others, and having passion for food. Those are all traits that I, as a man, like to
share, and as a chef I’m able to do that by sharing my heart with people. I also care a lot
about mentoring. I mentor students who are at the Institute of Culinary Education in New
York and provide opportunities for them to be interns at my restaurants.
Who is Chef Melvin Boots Johnson as a Father?
Man, there is nothing better than being a father! I have three biological children (two
daughters and a son), and my niece who I raised. Every day I try to make my kids proud,
but the funny thing is, I don’t think they care that I’m on TV doing shows, haha! They
have no interest whatsoever. That aside, being a father has driven me to grow my career as a chef by being an entrepreneur. Owning and running two restaurants is a great
accomplishment and it gives me great pride to bring my children to my establishments
so they can see what is possible to create when you put your mind to it.
Have your kids ever inspired any of your recipes? If so, tell us more.
I always love cooking for my kids. I remember one time my son Miles wanted rolled
tacos. Rolled tacos are also called taquitos, but in San Diego, California, we call them
rolled tacos, and my son and pretty much my whole family love these things. They’re
deep fried covered with guacamole, pico de gallo cheese and you dunk every bite into a
hot taco sauce. It’s so good! Well, one day Miles wanted some rolled tacos and I said, “of
course I can make them,” and he had this look on his face like “you can’t do that,” but
sure enough I did! I made them right there with him, I even ground the beef to go inside
of the rolled tacos, and I sat there and I showed him how to make them from scratch. His
mouth dropped! He thought I was the best dad ever.
Tell us more about your upcoming children’s cookbook and what inspired it?
You can mention being 12 years old and using your first cookbook from Betty Crocker
I’m writing a book called “Dad‘s Day Off” and it’s a celebration of dad‘s cooking for their
children. “Dad’s Day Off” is illustrated by a friend of mine who was actually in rehab from
alcohol abuse. When I created the concept, I was trying to give him something to do to
occupy his time while in rehab (to paint and not want to drink), so I told him about the
book and that I wanted to celebrate father‘s cooking with their children. Throughout the
story, recipes are paired with the meals they are cooking/eating, for example the dad is
cooking his kids’ favorite breakfast pancakes, and there is a recipe for it. After breakfast,
they go to grandpa‘s house where he’s on the grill and there is a recipe for a burger. All
the recipes in the book are dishes that my kids enjoy and I think that other kids would
have fun cooking these meals with their father.
What would it mean to you if your kids took after your cooking journey?
If my kids took over my cooking journey, that would be amazing, but out of all of the
children, my Daughter/Niece is the only one that actually works in one of the
restaurants–which is a pleasure to have. I don’t see any of the others with any interest in
the restaurant business besides placing orders!
What does legacy mean to you?
What does legacy mean to me? Well, I want to leave a mark in my community with my
family in this industry. I’m in the process of raising money and creating the Harlem
Culinary Academy to educate and mentor children of color to break into the industry. I
grew up at a time when there weren’t many people of color in the professional kitchen. I
want people to say, “MAN Chef BOOTS, that Brother could really cook and he was a
great person!"
Tell people what’s next for you, how can people follow you, etc?
I have been really busy with my new restaurant in the Caribbean on St. Croix island,
BOOTS and Bones Smokehouse. We just won two categories at the Taste of Saint Croix
in the Best Appetizer and Best Dessert categories. We have a new line of barbecue
sauces, Original and Damn Bro! (because it’s spicy), for purchase at the restaurant and
in local St Croix stores, and want to get them into more markets. We’re also working on
Harlem Biscuit Company biscuits going to market. I think I just want to solidify some
mailbox money. I want to share my products across the globe.
Follow me and my restaurants on Instagram at
https://www.instagram.com/boots_bites
https://www.instagram.com/harlembiscuitcompany
https://www.instagram.com/_bootsnbonesstx
