Chef Chris Morgan is the chef and co-owner of Joon in Vienna, Virginia. A two-time James Beard Award semifinalist, Morgan has earned national and regional acclaim for his work at Joon, which was named to The New York Times’ “America’s Best Restaurants” list in 2024 and has ranked in Washingtonian’s “100 Very Best Restaurants” every year since opening. In March 2026, he will appear as a competing chef on CBS’ America’s Culinary Cup, alongside some of the country’s most celebrated MICHELIN-starred and James Beard–recognized chefs.
Chef Chris first fell in love with Middle Eastern and Iranian food while growing up in Northern Virginia, home to a large community from the region. Although his culinary career has taken him across the country, including to Zuni Café and Slanted Door Restaurant Group in San Francisco, he always knew he wanted to return to the DC area to share his love of cooking with the community he grew up in.
Chef Chris returned to DC and worked alongside some of the city’s most respected chefs, including Chef Ed Witt at The Partisan and Chef Jeremiah Langhorne at The Dabney. In 2017, he joined Maydan as co-executive chef, where his leadership helped earn the restaurant a Michelin star and widespread critical acclaim, including being named No. 2 Best New Restaurant in America by Bon Appétit, a “Top 10 Best New Restaurant” by Food & Wine, and a “Best New Restaurant in America” by GQ. Maydan was also included on Eater’s list of the “18 Best New Restaurants in America.”
Drawing on these experiences and under the guidance of celebrated Iranian chef, cookbook author, and food historian Najmieh Batmanglij, Chef Chris created Joon as a love letter to Persian cuisine and the flavors that have defined his culinary journey.