Longtime chef takes leap, brings ‘something different’ to Rothschild

Rachel Kroeger

Staff

August 4, 2025

ROTHSCHILD – After working in different kitchens across the country, John Greene said a job opportunity in Wisconsin’s Northwoods brought him not only to his new home, but the new home of his recently opened Filipino-fusion restaurant – Jade Panda.

“I’ve been a chef almost my whole life, and this was my first opportunity to start my own business for myself and my family,” he said. “I[’ve] spent probably 15 years in the private country club business as [the] head chef.”

Growing up and attending culinary school in Las Vegas, Greene said his experience led him to opportunities “all over the place.”

“[I’ve] moved to Boston, Louisiana [and] Florida running kitchens,” he said.

Greene said more than a decade ago, when he was working in Central Florida “with a golf company that manages country clubs” across the U.S., his current employer received a call from a partner club in Wausau.

“The Wausau Country Club… said, ‘Hey, do you have any culinary support to help us get through our member guest weekend this busy summertime? [Because] we have a new chef [and] don’t really know their skill set,’” he said.

The country club, Greene said, gave him an offer he “couldn’t refuse” – so, in 2012, he said his family relocated to North Central Wisconsin and has lived there ever since.

After cooking at the club for nearly a decade, Greene said he left and worked a few other food-related jobs before a new opportunity presented itself.

“The lease came up for availability [for] a restaurant I’d had my eye on – I just saw the ad for it and jumped into it right away a few months ago,” he said. “I’ve been wanting to open up my own place, [but] I’ve been waiting for the right opportunity to lease a property.”

After signing the lease in March and following some minor renovations, Greene said he and his team officially opened Jade Panda – located at 1112 E. Grand Ave. in Rothschild – last month.

“We spent probably two months renovating – knocking out a couple of walls, building some things,” he said. “There was an existing bar area we tore down, and we built a whole new bar area, because we’re [also] working on getting our beer and wine license.”

Filipino-fusion style

The name, Jade Panda, Greene said, is something he and his daughter created together.

“The name and logo are something my daughter and I came up with,” he said. “A couple years back, [we said] that if we opened up a restaurant, we’d call it Jade Panda.”

Greene said he is “half Filipino, half American” – so the style of his restaurant and the cuisine offered there is fitting.

“[The menu] is a reflection of the food I’ve been making my whole life with some homemade Filipino food my mom has always [cooked] since as far back as I can remember,” he said. “A lot of recipes are what I learned from her, with a little bit of a twist here and there [and] some different styles.”

Jade Panda’s menu, Greene said, features food inspired by his own culture and experience as well as his newfound home in Wisconsin – including dishes such as “Korean barbecue french fries, Japanese style ramen dishes and even good old-fashioned fried cheese curds.”

“It’s kind of a blend of everything, [but] mostly focusing on Asian food,” he said.

Ensuring the quality of his food, Greene said, is paramount to him as he tries to establish a new flavor in the Rothschild area.

“I’ve seen so many restaurants that are successful, even [though they] don’t really cook anything – everything comes out of a box,” he said. “For me, it’s more about cooking food from scratch so it’s something special.”

Because Filipino cuisine varies across the country’s “7,000 islands,” Greene said the food served at Jade Panda is both traditional and unique to him and his family.

“It’s what I grew up eating, what I’ve been making at home with my daughter these past many years and it’s our version,” he said. “So, we added some things – and it’s evolving and changing [as we] try new things, too.”

Inside the restaurant, Greene said patrons won’t find artwork, but instead murals of the business’s logo and more.

“Myself [and] my daughter painted on the walls and [created] murals,” he said. “We painted a dragon mural that’s hanging on the wall [as well as] graffiti-style bamboo – just to give it a cool feel.”

Serving as a beacon for those who share both his culture and passion for quality food, Greene said he and his team are very proud of their work in and on Jade Panda’s building.

“We put a lot of love into the place, and we’re proud of the end result,” he said.

Found community

So far, Greene said he’s happy and proud to serve the community while simultaneously paying homage to his culture.

“Since I moved up here, I don’t see too many Filipinos around me,” he said. “Now, I see them coming from different towns – driving from Stevens Point or coming from North Wausau – and just meeting some familiar accents reminds me of my mom and my family, too.”

To give back to the communities that have embraced and supported him, his family and his restaurant, Greene said proceeds from specific dishes on his menu will go toward supporting various causes.

“We want to donate a portion of the revenue from the Evergreen Chicken Ramen Bowl to the D.C. Everest [High School] Evergreens,” he said.

Furthermore, Greene said proceeds from Jade Panda’s wonton tacos – Panda Wontacos – will go to support “a panda conservation fund in China,” and sales of the Lieutenant Dan Shell Crab Sandwich will support building homes for soldiers.

“We [also] have chicken adobo – which is like the Philippines’ national dish for most people,” he said. “We’re donating [some of those proceeds] to Save the Children Philippines.”

Though he feels he’s “always had the right skill set” to open a restaurant, Greene said it took him some time to build the necessary confidence to go for it.

“I’ve always run restaurants as if I owned the restaurant myself,” he said. “A few years back, a friend of mine opened up a restaurant, and I remember him saying ‘Well, I’ve been running restaurants for other people my whole life, and I decided it’s time [to open one] for myself.’”

Additionally, Greene said the timing of his life had to be right for him to make a leap into business ownership.

“It’s always been on the back burner, [but] I think it’s every chef’s dream to go into business for themselves – [so] I think the timing was just right,” he said. “My daughter’s at that age where she’s in high school now and looking for work. [So,] she can help me out at the restaurant, and I don’t have to worry about missing her growing up and things like that.”

The timing for Rothschild and its surrounding community to welcome a new type of cuisine, Greene said, was also right.

Though Jade Panda has only been open for a little less than a month, he said he’s already received a significant amount of positive feedback from both his customers and colleagues.

“I think [people like] the different flavors that we put out, [because] we’ve had some customers say, ‘We really needed something different,’” he said. “A lot of my friends are running kitchens in town, and they’ve come and visited and [also] said, ‘Nice concept – we really needed something different around the area.’”

To learn more about Jade Panda, visit its website, jadepandarestaurant.com, or its social media pages.