{"id":336497,"date":"2026-07-11T02:01:11","date_gmt":"2026-07-11T02:01:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/336497\/"},"modified":"2026-07-11T02:01:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-11T02:01:11","slug":"we-are-heartbroken-berns-steak-house-chef-chad-johnson-has-died-at-age-47","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/336497\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018We are heartbroken’: Bern\u2019s Steak House chef Chad Johnson has died at age 47"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AChef Chad Johnson Credit: BernsSteakHouse \/ Facebook<\/a><\/p>\n

South Tampa restaurant goers were met with sad news today as Bern\u2019s Steak House <\/a>told followers that its executive chef, Chad Johnson, died this week.<\/p>\n

The Tampa Bay Business Journal<\/a> said the unexpected death happened Wednesday. Property and voter registration records indicate Johnson was 47 years old. He is survived by his wife Ashley and two daughters.<\/p>\n

In a statement, David Laxer, Owner and President of Bern\u2019s, wrote that the restaurant was closed last Thursday night as the team and Johnson\u2019s family grieved.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday, we reopen knowing this is what Chad would have wanted: for us to come together, welcome our guests, and continue the gracious hospitality he cared so deeply about,\u201d Laxer added in a statement shared today. \u201cThere is no way to replace the impact Chad had on our team.\u201d<\/p>\n

A cause of death has not been shared, and Laxer asked for privacy for Johnson\u2019s family and Bern\u2019s team.<\/p>\n

Johnson, a perennial Best of the Bay winner, was a literal giant of the local food scene who quickly made a name for himself at SideBern\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Johnson checks off the list of modern chef concerns \u2014 seeking out local ingredients, utilizing unusual foods, stretching his cuisine past genre and cultural boundaries, seasonal menus,\u201d Creative Loafing Tampa Bay noted in 2011<\/a>. \u201c And even though he\u2019s a very serious dude, Johnson still seems to enjoy playing with his food. The result is often fabulous, in a setting that is easily one of the most elegant and modern in Tampa.\u201d<\/p>\n

Twice named a James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef: South (2012, 2014), Johnson cooked at the Beard House three times.<\/p>\n

Johnson previously helmed the kitchen at Elevage, across the street from Bern\u2019s before leaving in 2019<\/a>. His job at Bern\u2019s also put Johnson in the kitchen at Haven, another South Tampa favorite that closed this year<\/a> as Johnson\u2019s team prepared a new concept, Peddler + Potter.<\/p>\n

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This article appears in July 09 \u2013 15, 2026<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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