BB&T Charleston Wine + Food Festival

On most days at Lana Restaurant, you will find Chef John Ondo on the front kitchen line — right where he likes it. No matter if it’s lunch or dinner, he’s there, making sure the plates are perfect before they hit the table, visiting with guests, and always working to prep for the next service.

John excels at managing a bustling kitchen, and he believes it all starts with the prep. The kitchen prepares two types of bread made daily, five daily gelato flavors, and various meat stocks, sauces and stews.

As chef/owner of Lana Restaurant, he’s spent the last six years refining Lana’s rustic approach to refined Mediterranean cuisine, interpreted through local ingredients, a respect for the basic elements of the dish, and the adventurous spirit that informs the tasting menus and seasonal changes.

A Charleston native, John has been cooking since he was a child in his grandmothers’ kitchens, aggravating them to “help.” Though his studies at Trident Technical College, and his front-line work at well-known Charleston restaurants such as McCrady’s, Carolina’s and Il Cortile del Re, he has honed his unique approach to food that is at once elegant, comforting and satisfying.

Lana Restaurant is a culmination of all that he’s learned so far, and the perfect plate to expand his culinary imagination.