Johanne Killeen
Johanne Killeen, along with her late husband, George Germon, is a chef and owner of Al Forno Restaurant in Providence, Rhode Island, which is considered the birthplace of flatbread pizza. She is also the author of two cookbooks: Cucina Simpatica: Robust Trattoria Cooking from Al Forno (1991)[2] and On Top of Spaghetti... Macaroni, Linguine, Penne, and Pasta of Every Kind.
They were both artists, graduates of the Rhode Island School of Design RISD),[3] and looking for a way to supplement their income which led them to open Al Forno in 1980.[4] At the time they came up with the idea, Killeen had been working at a restaurant outside Florence, Italy while George taught at RISD in Rome.[5]
She and her husband appeared on an episode of In Julia's Kitchen with Master Chefs, where they prepared dirty steak with hot Fanny sauce.[6]
Honors and awards
Food & Wine instituted an annual Best New Chef honor in 1988. Killeen Was in the first group and was the only woman in the group chosen.[7] Along with her husband, she won the Best Chef of the Northeast James Beard Award. In 2018, she was a semifinalist for the Outstanding Chef award.[3]
References
- Donnis, Ian (March 23, 2000). "Simple beauty Al Forno's Johanne Killeen and George Germon mine the essence of Italian food". Providence Phoenix. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
- Babür-Winter, Oset (August 6, 2020). "This Restaurant Veteran Has the Secrets to Survival (and Success)". Food&Wine. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
- Bidgood, Jess (October 14, 2022). "George Germon, Founder of Rhode Island Dining Gem, Dies at 70". New York Times. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
- "Johanne Killeen & George Germon of Al Forno's – Providence, RI". GreatChefs. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
- "Johanne Killeen, George Germon, And Christopher Gross - In Julia's Kitchen With Master Chefs". PBS. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
- "Every Food & Wine Best New Chef Ever, Since 1988". Food&Wine. May 12, 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2022.