Chef’s Bio

Jon Mortimer was born into a “food family” with a grandfather, Charles Mortimer, who was chairman of General Foods in White Plains New York. After moving to the resort town of Sun Valley, Idaho at the age of fourteen, Jon started his first restaurant job and instantly knew that this was what he needed to do with his life. 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 1992 Jon returned to Idaho to own his restaurant and truly explore his culinary style. B.B. Strand’s was opened in 1993, Mortimer’s restaurant, opened in 1999 and was created out of the culmination of this vast experience and became the cornerstone of his “sense of place” style. Chef Mortimer was also chef owner of Franco Latino restaurant opened in 2005 and showcased a counterpoint French Latin fusion cuisine to the chefs modern American repertoire.

These many years of experience has laid the foundation to utilize the bounty of food and wine that Sonoma California has to offer. In the fall of 2008 a new chapter in a long culinary career began at the Timber Cove Inn's new restaurant, Alexander's, at one of the most dramatic fine dining locations on the Pacific Coast. At Alexander's, a new cuisine has been developed that is best described as modern coastal comfort cuisine paying homage to the areas ranchers, farmers, fisherman and winemakers.

Other highlights in Chef Mortimer’s career include the release of The Idaho Table that showcases the foods of the intermountain west using the 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”, spokesman for the United Dairymen of Idaho and consulting chef to Snake River Farms, Simplot Foods and Fresca Fine Foods.

Click here to read WineCountry.com's "Wine Country Personality" profile on Jonathan Mortimer.