John Sierp, Delaware ’91, opened Home Base Bistro earlier this year, a restaurant in Midtown, Manhattan, where he is co-owner and executive chef.
He serves “kicked-up” pub grub, as he described it to the New York Post, with menu items such as pork belly tacos, Cuban egg rolls, and General Tso-spiced cauliflower. “I like food that is fun,” he said, “I like food that you can eat with one hand and one-bite food.”
John never attended culinary school. Instead, he learned to cook from his Italian mother and grandmother and honed his skills at the Delaware chapter house, where he acted as the house chef. “We had a guy who was cooking, and he became lazy,” John told the Post, “He started catering food in from a pizza place and it sucked because it was Delaware. So, I said, ‘I can make this food for cheaper and 10 times better.’”
John and a chapter brother from New Jersey worked together to impress their housemates with their mothers’ recipes. “These were kids from Maryland and Pennsylvania,” John said, “They didn’t know what real Sunday sauce was.” John became such a popular chef on campus, he even catered parents’ weekend. “The compliments I got from these Italian mothers were through the roof. It made my whole experience.”
In addition to his skills in the kitchen, John is one of New York’s Bravest, a 15-year veteran of the FDNY. He currently serves in Tribeca where he cooks for the other members of the station. “Besides food critics, the toughest crowd is the firemen, without a doubt,” he shared. John’s experience as a firefighter has made him adept at handling high pressure situations. He’s competed twice on “Chopped” where he finished second each time. He’s also appeared on the “Rachel Ray Show.” But nothing compares to owning Home Base Bistro. “Every time I walk through the doors, I feel a sense of pride,” he said.
John has consulted on menus all over the east coast. Ten years ago, he was asked to create a menu for a bar in Tribeca, where he featured his grandmother’s rice balls and pulled pork. “I started coking with my mom’s recipes in a frat house and now I have my own kitchen. It’s come full circle for me,” he said. We’re proud to have played a role in John’s career. Go Far!
Read his original profile in the New York Post here.
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