When Johnny Spero was 15, his parents gave him an ultimatum: get a job if you want your driver’s license. So the Baltimore native took a position as a busboy at an American bistro. He loved the speed and energy of the restaurant but was especially drawn to the chefs—their swagger, creativity, and rebelliousness. After a few months in the front of house, he moved to the kitchen and never looked back.
He went on to attend Le Cordon Bleu in Florida before landing in Washington, D.C., where he took a formative job at Komi under Johnny Monis, who would go on to win the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic in 2013. “That was a game changer,” says Spero, who spent time working both the savory and pastry sides of the kitchen. “Komi was one of the first restaurants in DC to do a heavy technique-involved tasting menu, but then they ended the meal with a big goat shoulder. It was one of the restaurants that really opened my eyes to what could be done in the city and at a restaurant.”
From there, he cooked at the Appalachian-minded Town House with John Shields, staged at the legendary Noma, returned to D.C. to lead José Andrés’ avant-garde Minibar, and spent time at the boundary-pushing Mugaritz in Spain.
In 2018, Spero opened Reverie, a transportive, forward-thinking fine dining restaurant tucked into a Georgetown alley and centered on seafood, wild ingredients, and seasonal bounty. It earned a Michelin star in spring 2022 but was tragically consumed by a fire that summer. “I went through all the stages of grief in one day,” says Spero, who was also preparing to open another restaurant and welcome his third child. “And then I accepted it was like, ‘Okay, let's move on.’”
After an 18-month hiatus to rebuild and refocus, Spero reopened Reverie with a moodier, more minimalist vibe. The restaurant continues to hold a Michelin star.
