Growing up in South Mobile County along the bay, John has a life-long passion for the water and the land that has been in the family for generations. At a very young age, he was gigging flounder, netting soft shells and catching speckled trout for his mother to cook up and serve to their large extended family and nearby friends. After graduating from McGill-Toolen Catholic High School, he continued in the family tradition of earning a degree from the University of Alabama.
Immediately upon graduation, he began a 20-year career as owner and president of a landscaping company based in Mobile. Among many entrepreneurial skills gained with this venture, he was most acclaimed for his management talents, efficiency, and customer relationships. This career also allowed him to be in the outdoors and maintain his family’s property, a former pecan orchard.
John is an avid outdoor cook and is known for entertaining hundreds of guests with a handful of staff and serving some of the best fried oysters, shrimp and grits, and of course pecan-smoked beef or pulled pork with his secret bbq sauce. He is passionate about his pecan cooking wood and the customers, both individuals and restaurants, for whom he serves.
