John Havens
Executive Chef and Director of Culinary Operations
Chef John joined the Shangri-La culinary team in December 2023, making his debut with a fabulous Members’ New Year’s Eve Wine Dinner. He came to us from Steamboat Springs, Colorado where he served as Executive Chef for multiple restaurant operations at Steamboat Resort.
Chef John was a military brat, but raised mostly in the Denver suburb of Lakewood, Colorado. He is a graduate of the School of Culinary Arts in Denver and developed far-reaching food & beverage experience having worked in Denver before moving to South Carolina where he worked as Chef for restaurants and catering companies at Hilton Head. He also served in the nation’s capital handling catering events for the USDA including gala events at the Kennedy Center and the Smithsonian.
He also spent 15 years abroad, primarily in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East before returning to the United States where he served as Executive Chef for multiple restaurant venues at Steamboat Resort prior to joining the team at Shangri-La.