Yes, Chef! Up close and personal with Chef John Dean

Form. flavor. function

All Featured in a Safe Place

The space reserved for our chef featurette cannot do John Dean justice. The chef and owner of Chico’s favorite new dining darling, Drunken Dumpling, John is easily one of Butte County’s most accomplished chefs and has experienced enough to undoubtedly fill a series of books. In fact, his story already graced a number of pages in a recent edition of Edible Shasta Butte. Suffice to say, we gushed over his achievements in private, and were you able to steal him away for a moment of conversation in the flurry of his always-busy restaurant, we have no doubt you’d do the same.

Instead, we thought it better to take the space to express our gratitude for who he is as an individual and what he’s encouraging within our community. Drunken Dumpling is home to some of the most delicious flavors in town, as many already know, but it is also home to unbridled inclusivity. When you arrive, you check any judgment at the door. This has been John’s vision all along, for his culinary gifts to bring people together in a meaningful way. “I just wanted to create a safe place for everyone,” John said. “We have a huge LGBTQ community that comes in here—binary and non-binary. It’s a safe haven for everyone. More than anything else, this location is a community living room. It’s what I always wanted, and it’s what I’m getting.” He has certainly created just that, and built it around three key tenants—form, flavor, and function. “I haven’t been able to get it out of my head. Form. Flavor. Function. Form. Flavor. Function,” John repeated. Once you develop a unique form and unique flavors, then you need the functionality of the team. It’s what makes the restaurant work. I work on form and flavor; everyone else works on function. My team seriously keeps this place going. It wouldn’t be here without them.”

John focuses on bringing true intent into everything he does. To ensure that his form and flavor are consistent, he grows much of the ingredients used in Drunken Dumpling; the rest, he sources from Ha Moua Lee Farms. With 13 plots at his house in Durham, he grows squash, cucumber, basil herbs, lemongrass, multiple varieties of tomatoes, green beans, and much more, making each and every dish served a true labor of love that begins and ends with him. Yet, again, he resists any credit and humbly thanks his community and staff for making all of it possible through their unwavering support.

“My mission is simply to have excellent people serve excellent food at a very very reasonable price,” John said, “Other than that, I only want everyone to have a nice day.”