About Us
JOHN RUSS
Owner & Chef
Chef John Russ, a 2023 James Beard Awards Finalist in the Best Chef: Texas category, was born and raised in New Orleans and credits his grandmother's quenelles de brochet for expanding his palate beyond PB&J. He studied at Delgado Culinary in New Orleans and went on to work in fine dining at the Ritz Carlton and then The Capella Group. John moved to San Antonio in 2012 and felt right at home with the city's food community. As Alamo City Provisions, John and his wife Elise organized a well received series of pop up dinners that showcased San Antonio's growing food scene and culinary talent. Encouraged by the popularity of the dinners and support from friends and family, John and Elise established their own restaurant group in 2016.
John is an advocate for bringing about much-needed change to the industry in the areas of food sourcing, sustainability, and industry support. He is also firmly dedicated to working alongside the National and Texas Restaurant Associations to support bipartisan, commonsense immigration reforms that expand U.S. employers’ ability to hire a legal workforce. Grateful for an amazing group of friends, John is thrilled to be growing his family and business in San Antonio.
ELISE RUSS
Owner & Pastry Chef
Pastry Chef Elise Russ has been passionate about dessert since she was a child, elaborately decorating cookies with piles of icing that had no hopes of ever hardening. After taking a cake decorating class at the local JoAnn's, Elise launched her career making custom sweets for her neighbors and keeping her grandfather supplied with biscotti and pizzelles. Advancing past cakes shaped like Barbies and soccer balls, Elise pursued a degree in Baking & Pastry Arts from Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island. She worked in hotels, restaurants, and bakeries in London, Chicago, Georgia, and Maryland before settling down in San Antonio. Elise is the Pastry Chef and Owner of Clementine with her husband, John, and a proud member of the San Antonio chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier International.
In addition to being a full-time restaurant owner and pastry chef, Elise is a mother of three; she enjoys frosting sugar cookies with her daughters and looks forward to the day her son is old enough to help.
