Jon Mortimer has been working in professional kitchens for the past thirty years. He started his cooking career in the resort town of Sun Valley, Idaho as a dishwasher at the age of sixteen.

After working in various restaurants into his early 20’s and attending the University of Arizona as well as the Horst Mager Culinary Academy in Portland, Oregon,  Jon performed a pastry apprenticeship in Geilo, Norway and a hotel apprenticeship in Fiesole, Italy before returning to the U.S. to begin life as a corporate chef.

In 1990 Jon returned to Idaho’s capitol city where he owned and operated two fine dining restaurants, B.B Strand’s & Mortimer’s.  During this time he published his cookbook, “The Idaho Table” showcasing the foods of the Intermountain West using techniques of the world.

Along with being a cookbook author, accolades include Certified Executive Chef, adjunct professor to Boise State University School of Culinary Arts, Host of the weekly radio show Radio Café on KIDO 580 AM, television chef on KBCI channel 2’s “Culinary Tip of the Day”,  and past spokesman for the United Dairymen of Idaho.

For a change of Culinary scenery Jon took a job as Chef de Cuisine at Kenwood Inn and Spa. The time spent in Californias venerable Sonoma Valley provided great insight to harmonious food and wine pairings as well as personal relationships with some of the greatest producers of organic vegetables, cheeses and bio dynamic range stock.

The latest stop finds Chef Mortimer as Executive Chef at the Radisson Fort McDowell Resort. Here was an opportunity to basque in the sunshine of the Sonoran Desert while taking on the challenge of lead culinarian at the only full service, destination resort in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area.  

Jon spends his free time riding his Co-Motion tandem through the wine country with his daughter, Tegan, testing & researching the latest gluten-free cooking trends for his wife, Shara, and playing “roadie” to his son, Schuyler, schlepping him to and fro from mountain bike and cross country running races.