Cooking Up the Goods with John Juan’s Cafe Juan

Musical sensation John Juan is channeling new endeavor this Summer, which has to be one of our favorite additions this year. Starting the Youtube cooking show “Cafe Juan,” the artist proves he not only provides tasty musical treats, but edible treats as well. We had the chance to catch up with John Juan as we dove in a bit deeper behind the eclectic and yummy Cafe Juan.

1.     What is the concept behind Cafe Juan? What was the inspiration?

To make a more sensual cooking show by adding elements of music and the outdoors.  All the live action timestamps thoughts in association with our senses. 

I wanted to take people out of the normal exclusive commercial cooking show environment and provide intimacy—make cooking look easy and natural by conducting food projects in conjunction with a bunch of other stuff happening, which is how cooking normally goes down. 

The goal is to make the cooking, gardening, and music look obtainable for all; empower the audience to go do these things themselves and create their own communities. 

2.     Where do you come up with the recipes? Are they all your own? or more inspired by?

They are all just things I like to cook.  Sometimes my musical guest will bring something they want to make!  The fun is that I’m just cooking and not following specific recipes.  I want to show people you can just throw in a little of this, a little of that, and why they are doing it.  We hope to give people the confidence to cook creatively themselves and adapt anything they see me cook.  I hope viewers will start to add their own comments and suggestions.  I do like to give some coaching/ guidelines in the commentary sections: specific proportions and temperature, if necessary.

Most featured cooking is outdoors—the BBQ or campfire, for a more naturally lit experience—but all have a bit of a cook time so we can incorporate some kind of music or shenanigans.

3.     Doing both music and now Cafe Juan, how does the process for each differ?

I find they relate to each other—and to the garden.  They are all receiving, crafting, and giving.  I want to promote healthy and effective cross training in life and art. 

Secretly…shhhh…I’m just demoing (live) my next studio record, while avoiding gigs, and getting my kicks in the process. 

4.     What episodes are up next? Can you share any information or reveal any upcoming food surprises?

Oh sure!  We are getting off the campfire and moving into the garden for live music and farm to table food at a Los Angeles community garden.  Then the show moves out of the field, back home, to the actual Café Juan.  The fun really starts as my kids get involved, infront and behind the lense. 

I will send you two future episodes to a drop box for you to preview: 1. An episode where my kids spray-paint the background of Café Juan and plant a winter garden (featured song “Salt Water”).  2.  Where I make turkey with stuffing on Christmas, during which we demo a song (“where I belong”) with horns and piano. 

5.     How do you put the episode together from start to finish? How long does it take?

It all matters how inspired we feel on the editing or how long the dish takes.  We like to keep it real, so it never takes that long to film.  Turkey Dinner takes quite a while to make and serve, so that one’s pretty long!

I will try to release a Café Juan Season 1 episode every fortnight.  Don’t forget, separately, that the John Juan Never Sleeping LP is out now on vinyl 12 and digitally everywhere! 

Find Cafe Juan on Facebook HERE