John Gurnee
John Gurnee, executive chef for Mason's Restaurant, received his formal culinary training at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco. Chef Gurnee had the opportunity to further refine his craft while working in several San Francisco restaurants ranging from a very hip, small neighborhood restaurant to the award-winning Campton Place Restaurant, one of San Francisco's finest. At Campton Place, known for its contemporary cuisine embodying Mediterranean inspirations with local California cuisine, Chef Gurnee worked under Laurent Manrique, eventually making his way up to garde manager.
A Sacramento native, Chef Gurnee returned to his hometown and worked for Paragary’s Restaurant Group. In 2005 he joined Mason’s Restaurant and worked under the restaurant’s opening executive chef, Philip Wang. When Chef Wang left Sacramento for Hawaii in 2008, Chef Gurnee moved into the role of executive chef and has continued to delight patrons with his creative and tantalizing dishes. Chef Gurnee's menu, innovative and ever-changing, showcases the season's freshest ingredients with an inventive flair. He features modern American cuisine, a combination of California cuisine -- where local, fresh ingredients are key -- and advanced classical cooking techniques to create a variety of intriguing and enticing flavors with each course.
