John Parrino is an executive producer, consultant and advisor whose career spans more than three decades. Born to produce, he began his entrepreneurial journey at just 16 when he convinced the owner of his local ice-skating rink to let him organize all-ages alternative music shows. He soon co-produced performances around town, including Grammy Award–winning blues legend Charlie Musselwhite and Austin musician Doyle Bramhall, a longtime collaborator of Stevie Ray Vaughan. Though eventually let go by a venue owner for being under 21, the experience cemented his passion for the business of creativity.

John then focused his efforts solely on hospitality and food & beverage, going on to work with some of the most acclaimed and celebrated restaurants and concepts in the United States and the Caribbean. Since 2011, he has advised and consulted a distinguished portfolio of clients—including asset managers, chefs, developers, distilleries, event producers, hoteliers, investors, restaurateurs, talent, and wineries.

In 2025, John made his debut as an Executive Producer with his first independent feature film, scheduled for release in 2026 and to be announced soon. This milestone marked the beginning of his work in entertainment, adding a new dimension to a career that spans more than three decades in hospitality.

Over the course of his career, John has advised, produced, and managed projects across restaurants, events, and large-scale festivals, building a reputation for strategy, creativity, and execution. His expertise in hospitality now complements his expanding role in film, where he brings the same focus on partnerships, storytelling, and audience experience.

John’s first job was at age 12, working as a stock boy at Dattilo’s Quality Fruits & Vegetables in Louisville, Kentucky — quietly arranged and funded by his grandfather, Roe (Rosario) Parrino, to instill the values of money, hard work, and discipline. John wouldn’t learn the truth about this arrangement until more than 20 years later. His hospitality career began just two years after, at age 14, down the street from Dattilo’s, where he worked weekends and after school as a busboy and dishwasher at Mazzoni’s Café — a beloved, family-owned institution that operated for over 125 years and was famously known as the birthplace of the rolled oyster. He advanced quickly, serving as captain at Vincenzo’s, a Mobil (Forbes) Four-Star restaurant, and The English Grill at The Brown Hotel, which held Mobil (Forbes) Four-Star and AAA Four-Diamond distinctions. John later became maître d’ at The Oakroom in The Seelbach Hilton, a distinguished AAA Five Diamond restaurant—one of only 44 in the United States at the time, and a rare accolade in the region.

Expanding his horizons internationally, John served as maître d’ at Augusto’s Cuisine in San Juan, Puerto Rico—one of the Caribbean’s most acclaimed fine dining destinations—led by the renowned Austrian Chef Augusto Schreiner. He further honed his skills in Cincinnati, Ohio, as chef de rang (captain) at The Maisonette, a revered institution that held the Mobil (Forbes) Five-Star Award for a record 41 consecutive years—one of only 14 such restaurants in the United States at the time.

John’s career path brought him to Miami, Florida, where he managed the Blue Door at Ian Schrager’s Delano Hotel in South Beach, a celebrity hotspot operated by Jeffrey Chodorow that was named one of Esquire magazine’s Best New Restaurants in America. In 2007, he took the helm as general manager of Green Street Café in Coconut Grove, Miami, a cherished neighborhood institution since 1990. He then moved to Chicago, Illinois in 2008, becoming general manager at David Burke’s Primehouse by James Beard Award-winning Chef David Burke, located in The James Hotel. Two years later, John joined The Purple Pig as general manager, collaborating with James Beard Award-winning Chef Jimmy Bannos Jr.. The Purple Pig earned recognition as one of Bon Appétit magazine’s 10 Best New Restaurants in America.

In 2011, John co-founded Isabelli Partners, quickly establishing it as Chicago’s preeminent full-service hospitality consulting and advisory firm. The agency's impressive client roster includes SOHO House & Co., Intercontinental Hotels, Trump International Hotel & Tower® Chicago, Illinois Restaurant Association, Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association, Chicago Gourmet presented by Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, Choose Chicago Tourism Bureau, and numerous celebrated restaurants and culinary talents recognized by the James Beard Foundation and Michelin Guide.

Between 2014 and 2021, John served as co-executive producer for the James Beard Foundation’s annual Taste America event in Chicago presented by Capital One. This acclaimed series united world-renowned chefs with the city’s culinary enthusiasts, corporate sponsors, and media, generating significant funds for the Foundation’s scholarship programs and initiatives to support the hospitality industry. Esteemed chefs featured during this period included Michelin Three-Star recipients Grant Achatz (Alinea, Chicago) and John B. Shields (Smyth, Chicago); Food & Wine Magazine’s Best New Chef Sean Brock (Husk, Nashville); New York Times Four-Starred chef Mark Ladner (Del Posto, New York); Food & Wine Magazine’s Best New Chef Missy Robbins (Lilia, Brooklyn); and Bravo’s Top Chef Season Four winner Stephanie Izard (Girl & the Goat, Chicago & LA), among many others.

In 2014, John’s strategic vision and encouragement led then-client Master Sommelier Alpana Singh to partner with Choose Chicago Tourism Bureau and align the Illinois Restaurant Association to engage the James Beard Foundation in relocating the prestigious annual James Beard Awards ceremony from New York City to Chicago. This landmark move, which secured the Awards’ presence in Chicago through 2027, has had a transformative impact on the city’s culinary scene and the Foundation’s national influence and resources.

John played a critical role in 2017 by managing crisis communications for Chef Curtis Duffy amid his departure from Grace, one of the nation’s most celebrated restaurants, which held Michelin Three-Star status—one of only 14 such restaurants in the United States at the time.

In 2018, John produced an exclusive media tasting event on behalf of Chef José Andrés and Olives from Spain, held the day after Chef José Andrés was honored with the Humanitarian of the Year award at the James Beard Foundation awards ceremony at Chicago’s Lyric Opera.

By 2019, Isabelli Partners had advised over 300 hospitality and food and beverage clients, facilitated more than 100 openings, produced upwards of 10,000 hours of content, orchestrated hundreds of events, brand activations, and partnerships, managed thousands of media dinners, and secured billions of media impressions.

In 2023, John, representing the Grenache and Garnacha Wine Consortium—an initiative funded by the European Union—provided executive leadership as the North American executive producer, directing premier media, industry, and educational seminars and events in Chicago, Miami, and Los Angeles.

In 2024, John divested his ownership stake in Isabelli Partners and now operates as an independent executive producer, consultant, and advisor for the hospitality and entertainment industries.