Renowned restaurateur, TV host, and award-winning cookbook author Chef JJ Johnson has brought his Afro-Caribbean culinary style and expertise to Michigan as the new creative culinary director for Ann Arbor’s Blue LLama Jazz Club.
In collaboration with Blue LLama’s founder Don Hicks, Johnson is revamping the jazz venue’s food menu to complement its performances as the space celebrates its fifth anniversary.
Based in New York City, Johnson is most recognized for earning numerous accolades due to his innovative approach to Afro-Caribbean cuisine. He won the James Beard Foundation Book Award for his cookbook Between Harlem and Heaven and Esquire’s No. 1 “Best New Restaurant” while at the Cecil in Harlem, among others. He’s also the host of Just Eats with Chef JJ which is currently in its fifth season on Cleo TV.
Johnson’s culinary style, now showcased in Michigan alongside four New York restaurants, draws inspiration from the jazz meccas of Harlem and New Orleans, incorporating flavors from Barbados, Puerto Rico, and the American South.
“The opportunity to team up with Don Hicks and the Blue LLama, and to connect my style of foodways with music is a dream,” Chef JJ says. “Blue LLama is already a jazz destination and I’m excited to further the musical storytelling through the menu with dishes like Jerk Prawns, Leeks Yassa, and local Perch Escovitch.”
Guests of the Blue LLama can look forward to dishes such as West African peanut sauce and goat noodles, scallop and black tiger shrimp ceviche, and boneless ribeye with grilled pineapple. Michigan is prominently featured throughout the menu with items like the Red Wings’ sour cherry glaze served with house ranch sauce, and an American charcuterie and cheese plate featuring local meats and cheeses.
In addition to its culinary offerings, Blue LLama Jazz Club boasts an extensive wine list curated from Don Hicks’s personal collection. Cocktails complement the new menu, highlighting spirits such as rums, gins, and bourbons.
Blue LLama Jazz Club is open for performances and dinner service every week from Wednesday through Saturday.
Reservations can be booked online through Tock, or made over the phone or via email.
Scroll down for photos of the space and new Afro-Caribbean menu items.
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