John-Michael's Restaurant

Meet Chef John-Michael Hamlet

  For 17 years now, Chef John-Michael has been associated with fine dining restaurants from Massachusetts to North Carolina, and now he has returned to New York, better than ever and opened his own restaurant!  At the age of 15 he decided he wanted to be a professional chef and he began his culinary education in high school.  From the very beginning he has won many awards, competitions and accolades.  While still in high school, in 1994, he won Best Culinary Student of the Year and placed 1st in a C-CAP (Careers through Culinary Arts Program) cooking competition which earned him a stint at Le Cordon Bleu in London, England.  He also won a menu contest with scholarship honors from Johnson and Wales.

  His education continued at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. During his CIA education, he was personally selected by world renowned chef, Patrick O’Connell of The Inn at Little Washington, to complete a year’s externship.  He graduated from the CIA in 1996.

  The recognition of his talent and skill continued throughout his culinary career. At Stone Manor Inn, in Maryland, his food was considered “memorable and high art” by Zagat’s Dining Guide, which also awarded him a 27 out of 30 food rating, and “dining fit for the royal crowd” by The Frederick News Post.  One journalist wrote “he is a force to be reckoned with.  Hard to believe the phenom is only 27.” While at Stone Manor the restaurant was described as, “equal or superior to most every flagship restaurant in Washington, D.C. and the mid-Atlantic” due to the talent and skill of John-Michael.  His write ups continued in numerous other publications, including the Washingtonian Magazine and The New York Times.

  In 2003, he returned to New York and assisted in opening restaurants and revamped menus for several establishments in Manhattan and the Hudson River Valley region, including Restaurant Arabelle at Hotel Plaza Athenee in New York City.  It was in 2005 when he found his niche at Peter Pratt’s Inn, in Yorktown Heights, New York.  He remained there until he found the perfect location for HIS restaurant, John-Michael's in the Purdy’s Homestead building.  Now with the opening of John-Michael’s on November 2, 2007, he proudly serves his guests innovative, elegant, imaginative, and modern European cuisine.

And the awards continue!  In only the first month of John-Michael’s being open, the New York Times rated the restaurant “VERY GOOD."  And now just six months later we have been recognized again with being voted a Key Newcomer Restaurant in the Zagats 2008-2009 Westchester Guide. 

Come, enjoy a memorable meal and experience the food from one of the best chefs around.

Highlights of my culinary education are training at Le Cordon Bleu in London and graduating from The Culinary Institute of America.  My CIA Externship with world renowned Chef Patrick O'Connell of The Inn at Little Washington in Washington, Virginia, influences me today in my vision for JOHN-MICHAEL'S.

As Executive Chef at Stone Manor Inn in Middletown, Maryland, I attained a 27 out of 30 Zagat food rating.  While Executive Chef at Peter Pratt's Inn, I was critically acclaimed by the Journal News and chosen as a Local Celebrity Chef in Yorktown by The North County News.  My mentor and close friend, Jonathan Pratt, has been most encouraging with this new venture of mine.

Many thanks go to my wife, Rose, for all her support and hard work in bringing this dream to fruition.  Perhaps one of our sons, Gavin or Samuel, will follow in my footsteps someday. 

My food is an imaginative interpretation of European cuisine that originates from the French Classics.  See the vision of my "heart and passion" on your plate.  It is my desire to make you happy by creating the very best food for your dining pleasure. 

Whether it's a special occasion or just a night out, I offer you a memorable dining experience.  I invite you to make a reservation at JOHN-MICHAEL'S Restaurant.  Come and delight your palate and see my vision before you.