Chef John Church gets back to the kitchen with new diner

Chef John Church, a veteran of some of Las Vegas’ most prestigious kitchens, surprised many of his fans by opening Johnny C’s Diner over the weekend. After quietly opening the kitchen for takeout service Friday, he announced it on social media Saturday.

“I was just sitting around the house, landscaping, doing everything I could, and I was going crazy,” Church explains of the decision.

Church, who worked in the kitchens of Aureole, Andre’s, Alize, RM Seafood, Eiffel Tower Restaurant and AJ’s Steakhouse before his recent stint as corporate executive chef for Golden Entertainment, had just signed a lease on a place of his own.

“I signed the lease two weeks before all this stuff went down,” he says of the diner, located in the LVM Resort, a luxury RV resort at 8175 Arville St. in the southwestern valley. It is open to the public.

“Luckily, the people here that I signed the lease with, they’re really great people,” Church continues, referring to the resort board’s support for opening with what he’s calling “a phase one menu.”

“Everything that I’ve picked out (for the current menu) will hold up to-go, as best as possible for to-go food,” he says of the menu, which is available from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. Dishes include upscale spins on staples such as pancakes, French toast, omelets and sandwiches, as well as heartier items such as chicken-fried steak and biscuits and gravy.

Despite his haute cuisine pedigree, Church is no stranger to comfort food cooking. During his time with Golden, he oversaw the relaunch of The Strat’s diner, and he opened both off-Strip MTO Cafe locations. He promises, however, that Johnny C’s will take that cuisine to a higher level.

“I think my hands were tied on quality in those experiences,” he replies, when asked how the new project will compare to MTO and Strat spots. “And I’m not sacrificing that here.”

Church still has big plans for the space that will be rolled out as the restaurant is able to transition to a more traditional business model. First up, he wants to change the decor from its current ’50s diner style to a more old-Vegas vibe. Beyond that, he notes, “There’s tons of potential.”

“There are tons of offices around here for catering. I eventually want to get a beer and wine license, and open Tuesdays through Saturday doing dinner service. There’s a patio here.”

For now, however, he’s glad just to be serving the community.

“It’s just time,” he says simply. “I wanted to cook.”

Johnny C’s Diner, 8175 Arville St., 702-263-0146, johnnycsdiner.com

Contact Al Mancini at amancini@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlManciniVegas on Twitter.