Chef John Moore returns home to Sky Carp

BELOIT -- New Beloit Sky Carp Head Chef John Moore has a unique definition of the term ‘soul food’.

“Everything I cook is soul food,” Moore said. “Because I put my heart, my soul and my reputation into everything that I prepare.”

Moore, a native of nearby Rockford, recently moved back home after serving as Executive Chef at Bowling Green University. When the opportunity came along to ply his passion to the baseball industry, he jumped at it.

“I’m extremely excited to get started,” Moore said. “I definitely want to be able to make the ballpark standards and make them great. But I also want to bring in a little of that ‘wow’ factor for fans. I want fans to taste that food with their eyes first, and be able to present some traditional foods that have a twist to them.”

Moore graduated from Blackhawk Tech’s culinary institute when he began his career in the industry over 25 years ago. He later went on to receive his bachelor’s degree from School Le Cordon Bleu.

“I wanted to get my hand in management and see how that side of it was, but I never wanted to give up cooking,” Moore said. “That’s where my passion is, and that’s what I’ve always wanted to do.”

Moore credits his grandmother with injecting the passion for cooking in him.

“I must’ve been about eight years old when during the holidays I just posted up in the kitchen and watched her,” Moore said. “I was just transfixed. She never worked off recipes or measured anything, but everything always tasted so good.

“By the time I got to be in high school, I was really helping her out when she needed it. And when she passed away, I took the responsibility of cooking a lot of those things during the holidays. My family loved it, and really encouraged me to check out culinary school.”

Moore’s journey has led him to many different industries, including hospitality and senior living. Now that he’s back to his roots in Rockford, Moore plans on leaving a solid legacy with the Sky Carp.

“It’s going to be an adjustment for me for sure, but one thing’s for sure and two things are for certain: I know how to make food taste good. And I can’t wait for the season to get going so our fans can see what we’ve got going on in 2024.”