Johannes Klapdohr was born in Germany into a family of four generations of Hoteliers, Restaurateurs and Chefs.
His great grandfather bought the famous hotel “Bellevue” in his hometown Bad Kreuznach in 1906 and since than the Klapdohr family has made hospitality their passion.
Growing up in his parents’ hotel he especially loved helping his father in the kitchen and he decided at an early age to become a chef and continue the family tradition.
After his graduation from the culinary school, he went on to study in some of the finest hotels and Michelin star restaurants in the world including the Relais&Chateau “Hotel Bareiss” in the Black Forest and Eckard Witzigman’s legendary “Restaurant Aubergine” in Munich.
He came to the US in 1996 as Atlanta’s restaurants where seeking Michelin Star trained chefs to help during the Olympic Games.
In 1998 he was assigned the position of Chef de Cuisine at “Nikolai’s Roof,” Atlanta’s finest award-winning restaurant. He quickly earned himself a place in the best 100 Restaurants in the US and the Mobile four-star award.
In 2004 he became the Executive Chef of “The Lodge at Sea Island” the prestigious Mobile five star, AAA five diamond hotel of the coast of Georgia. During his tenure the Lodge became the # 1 Boutique hotel in the US, including fine dining, and the # 1 golf hotel in the world in 2007.
From 2007 to 2009 he held the Position of Executive Chef of the “Culinary Vegetable Institute” and collaborated with Farmer Lee Jones at “Chefs Garden” in Ohio, which is one of the leading sustainable farms in the US, to create Farm to Table experiences for guests and hospitality professionals.
In 2009 he rejoined with Richard Delany his former GM at “The Lodge at Sea Island” to create the High-end Resort “Old Edwards Inn” in Highlands NC.
During his 7 years at The Old Edwards Inn, it has become the # 1 Hotel in the US and one of the most renowned resorts in the world and was rewarded with the Relais &Chateau Status in 2015.
In 2016, after 33 successful years and experience in the hospitality business he decided to partner with Marvin Gralnick to create his own restaurant the “Library Kitchen and Bar” in Sapphire, NC.