John Parrino is a hospitality producer, marketer and advisor representing agencies, asset managers, chefs, developers, distilleries, events, hoteliers, investors, restaurateurs and wineries since 2011. He has over 30 years of hospitality industry experience focusing on comprehensive food and beverage operations, integrated marketing and experiential events.
Most recently John completed a 29-month restaurant consulting engagement on behalf of Briny Swine Smokehouse & Oyster Bar, located in Chicago’s famed Lincoln Park neighborhood. The scope of work included concept development, integrated marketing, operations, partnerships, project management, owner representation and more.
Additionally, John was the executive producer for Garnacha & Grenache North American trade, media and industry education and tasting events funded by the European Union. The 2023 tour brought the wine coalition to Miami, Chicago and Los Angeles, where John led all onsite production, management and audience procurement.
John was also responsible for scouting and discovering Mimi Yoga’s second location in Coconut Grove, Florida on behalf of Janet Mary Isabelli, PA of Keller Williams Realty. Known internationally, Mimi Yoga opened June 2024.
John’s drive and passion for the hospitality industry began 30 years ago, washing dishes and bussing tables starting at 14 years of age in Louisville, Kentucky. By his early 20s, he had worked at some of the most respected restaurants in North America and the Caribbean.
In San Juan, Puerto Rico, John worked as Maître D’ at Augusto’s Cuisine, which was at the time one of the Caribbean’s most celebrated fine dining restaurants as owned by Austrian Chef Augusto Schreiner. In Cincinnati, he was a Chef de Rang (Captain) at North America’s most revered restaurant at the time, The Maisonette, which retained Mobil Travel Guide’s most coveted Five Star Award for 41 consecutive years. In Miami, John worked as a restaurant manager at a celebrity hot spot operated by Jeffrey Chodorow – the Blue Door restaurant at Ian Schrager’s iconic Delano hotel in South Beach – which was named to Esquire magazine’s list of America’s Best New Restaurants. In 2008, John relocated to Chicago to lead James Beard Award-winning Chef David Burke’s Primehouse, located at The James Hotel, as the general manager. In 2010, John joined The Purple Pig as general manager, helmed by James Beard Award-winning Chef Jimmy Bannos, Jr. and named one of Bon Appétit magazine’s Best New Restaurants in America.
photo credit: @francoisvochelle
In 2011, John and then-business partner Janet Isabelli founded Isabelli Partners and almost overnight became Chicago’s preeminent, full-service hospitality and lifestyle marketing firm representing clients locally, nationally and internationally. Clients included Michelin-starred Chef Tony Mantuano (Yolan, Nashville); James Beard Award winner Chef Erick Williams (Virtue, Chicago), as well as the first Mexican chef to earn a Michelin star, Chef Carlos Gaytán (Tzuco, Chicago). Other notable clients included SOHO House & Co., Intercontinental Chicago Hotel Magnificent Mile, Trump International Hotel & Tower® Chicago, Illinois Restaurant Association, Chicago Gourmet, Chicago Restaurant Week and multiple Michelin Bib Gourmand, one, two, and three star restaurants.
From 2014 - 2021, John led Isabelli Partners as co-executive producer of James Beard Foundation’s annual Taste America in Chicago — a series of events aligning world-renowned chefs with the city’s respected culinary enthusiasts, corporate supporters and media. His efforts raised substantial funds for the Foundation’s scholarship programs and other initiatives geared towards building the hospitality industry. Talent included Restaurateurs Donnie Madia (One Off Hospitality) and Kevin Boehm (BOKA Group) as well as Chefs Grant Achatz (Alinea, Chicago), Sean Brock (McCrady’s and Husk, Nashville), Mark Ladner (Del Posto, New York), Missy Robbins (Lilia, Brooklyn), Stephanie Izard (Girl and the Goat, Chicago & LA) and many others.
Other notable event clients include: Chef José Andrés and Olives from Spain; The Spirit of Italy; Allegrini Winery; and Garnacha & Grenache 2023 (Chicago, Miami and Los Angeles).
In 2013, John’s ideation and encouragement that led then-client Master Sommelier and media personality Alpana Singh to align with Choose Chicago and engage The James Beard Foundation to relocate the prestigious annual Awards from New York to Chicago. The James Beard Awards remain in Chicago until 2027 and have forever changed the culinary landscape of Chicago and The James Beard Foundation.
By 2024, Isabelli Partners had consulted and advised over 300 hospitality and lifestyle clients with 180 openings; produced over 10,000 hours of content; planned hundreds of events, sponsor activations and partnerships; managed thousands of media dinners; and secured billions of media impressions.
In 2024, John divested his ownership interests in Isabelli Partners Inc. and formed Alcamo Management.
photo credit: @isabellipartners
Born to produce, John, at just 16, convinced the owner of his local ice skating rink to allow him to organize all-age punk rock shows during the summer. He soon found himself co-producing and supporting a variety of live music and entertainment acts around town including those for Grammy Award- winning, Chicago blues harp legend Charlie Musselwhite and Austin singer, songwriter, drummer and Stevie Ray Vaughan collaborator, Doyle Bramhall. John was eventually fired by a venue owner after a show for being under age, but his love for the business of creativity and promoting culture was sealed.
A Louisville, Kentucky native, John is a serial collector, blues guitarist, Nike Air Force 1 lover and Latin American art enthusiast with a passion for the late Spanish painter, sculptor and graphic artist Angel Botello. John is also a St. Barth (French West Indies) loyalist. Trattoria Da Gemma (Amalfi Coast) and Fatty Crab (St. John U.S.V.I) remain his most memorable restaurant meals and his experience at the Hotel Santa Caterina (Amalfi Coast) is the one to beat.
CONSULTING SERVICES
CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT
BRAND MANAGEMENT
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
FINANCIAL OVERSIGHT
EVENT PLANNING, MANAGEMENT & PRODUCTION
HOTEL FOOD & BEVERAGE MANAGEMENT
INTEGRATED MARKETING
RESTAURANT MANAGEMENT
PARTNERSHIPS
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
REPRESENTATION
STRATEGY