John Elkhay, Maestro

Since he first exploded on the Rhode Island culinary scene in the early 1980's, John Elkhay has been considered one of the industry’s top chefs and restaurateurs, receiving local, regional and national accolades.

Upon completing his culinary studies at Johnson & Whales University, John honed his skills at several acclaimed restaurants including the Waldorf Astoria Hotel and Nantucket’s Jared Coffin House. Finding his way back to Rhode Island, John began turning local hot spots like Inprov, Catering Collaborative, and Atomic Grill into gold. He stoked the flame of the fire of Providence’s culinary renaissance in 1997 with the opening of his first restuarant - the sexy, romantic and artistically inspired XO Café.

Now, John is the ever-present, creative genius and culinary Maestro of Chow Fun Food Group, which owns and operates some the most acclaimed dining locations in Providence: 10 Prime Steak & Sushi, Rick’s Roadhouse, Luxe Burger Bar, XO Café, and Harry’s Bar & Burger, as well as Veritas Catering.

Just as his culinary prowess has helped shape the City into a dining destination, it is his efforts outside of the kitchen and in the community that have perhaps made an even larger impact.

Ross Elkhay, John’s son, passed away at the age of 12 from complications of Cystic Fibrosis (CF). In Ross’ honor, the Elkhay family and their closest friends launched Chefs for CF, pairing local chefs and volunteer hosts for dinner parties in their homes, with proceeds donated directly to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. To date, the event has raised more than $300,000 for the organization’s research efforts.

The Elkhay’s are also founders of the Ross Elkhay Foundation, which helps to support children and their families who are living with a life-altering or terminal illness. Fundraising activities include wine auctions and golf tournaments, whose proceeds are donated to local children’s organizations, families of children with life-altering diseases, or other charitable activities, such as the $190,000 that the Foundation granted to the City of Warwick to build and support a handicap accessible fishing pier and boardwalk at Gorton Pond, in honor of Ross’ passion for painting and fishing.