Hailing from Philadelphia by way of Los Angeles, Pastry Chef, Baker, and Cook Augustus John Squillace came to New Orleans with over 15 years of experience in the culinary world, beginning with running his own baking business in Pennsylvania for more than seven years, Auggie’s, before moving to the City of Angels in 2015, where he rose through the ranks of Prep Cook to Pastry Chef de Partie working at several fine dining establishments lead by multiple James Beard Award-winning/Michelin Star Chefs.
After arriving to The Crescent City, Augustus John worked Pastry for short spells at eateries and commissaries before starting Bourbon Club in early 2022. A French patisserie-inspired venture operating in fits and starts, Bourbon Club went dormant later that same year. Augustus John jumped stations from sweet to savory, working as a line cook for NOLA notables Compère Lapin and Jewel of the South.
By the beginning of 2024, Augustus John reignited his spark for self-expression. “New Orleans has an incredible food scene, and I want to be a part of it,” he explains. “Not just working in another kitchen serving someone else’s vision, but realizing my own. The fusion of food cultures, the history, exploring flavor profiles…it’s all inspiring to me.”
That rekindling prompted revisiting, reflection, and inevitably rebranding. “It’s been over 20 years since I sold cream cheese cookies from a kiosk in Grand Central Station [New York],” Augustus John continues. “Then home-based to store-front. Then life, as they say, got in the way. And I had to change direction.” He adds, “Working in the restaurant industry, back of house…it’s never been my desire to run somebody else’s business, either. I prefer to pursue my own vision.”
That vision is PUNCHDRUNK Bread + Variety, a popup concept centering around new takes on classic tastes recommended by Augustus John’s unusual breadth of experience. “I look back fondly at what I did with Auggie’s and the ‘what if’ of Bourbon Club. PUNCHDRUNK bridges those two,” he enthuses. “Reinventing old recipes, reacquainting new ones, celebrating flavors from other cultures, and sharing their history. It’s not one thing. As a popup, it doesn’t have to be. It can be whatever I want it to be. Fine dining, grab and go, a breakfast hub…King Cake, anyone? And in food culture, everybody likes to be entertained, just as much as I like to keep myself entertained. I mean, it’s all been done, hasn’t it? So let’s eat.”
