John N. Carminati is the head chef at the casual dining restaurant Garden Grove at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort. Carminati oversees breakfast, lunch and dinner at the restaurant, where a park-like atmosphere brings the outdoors inside and the menu changes seasonally to present the freshest fare available. A former lead line cook at Garden Grove, Carminati returned recently as head chef.

On different evenings, Carminati features buffet menu themes including Old South, Italian, Fisherman’s Wharf and Backyard Barbecue. On Italian night, guests can enjoy customized pasta dishes and pizzas. For the Backyard Barbecue evening, rotisserie chicken pairs well with fresh grilled pineapple, baked potatoes and other treats. Fisherman’s Wharf is a popular theme with grilled mahi mahi, snow crab legs, New England clam chowder and other fresh offerings. The Old South buffet pops with Louisiana-style blackened chicken, fresh salsa, beer-braised sausage and more.

A native of Abita Springs, La., Carminati is fond of cooking with fresh cilantro and Cajun seasonings. And fresh fish is a specialty of Carminati’s, who enjoys the challenge of presenting fish “that’s perfectly cooked, with the perfect sear.”

Carminati began his culinary career in 2001 as assistant chef at the Abita Springs Café. In 2004, he was a lead line cook at Gulliver’s/Garden Grove Café (now Garden Grove), and for two years after that he was a line cook at Todd English’s bluezoo, also at the resort. After a brief stint as line cook at the Coral Reef in Epcot, he returned to bluezoo as sous chef where his creativity flourished. Several months later, he was tapped as head chef at Garden Grove.
A 2005 graduate of the Orlando culinary academy Le Cordon Bleu, Carminati earned an associate of applied science degree in Culinary Arts. He has participated in special events at the resort, catered for private and corporate events and prepared meals for the Orlando charity event, Taste of the Nation.