Meet Jon Stokes

We recently connected with Jon Stokes and have shared our conversation below.

Jon, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.

I would say to keep my creativity alive directly correlates to the success of my private chef business.
There are a variety of things such as Cookbooks, going out to various restaurants, following certain television cooking competitions, reading social media posts and articles. Traveling to different countries gives me the opportunity to see their food trends that are different from what I normally see in America keeps the creative juices flowing!
For me food is life and life is food.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

My business name is Personal / Private Chef Jon. I work as a Private Chef and caterer.
Cooking has always been my passion and preparing a variety of American and European dishes.
After completing my Chef certification at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, I spent 12 years working in Europe and had the opportunity to work in Munich, Germany as well as Basel and Lucerne, Switzerland.
I enjoy working with individuals and families preparing meals as it allows me to get to know the people and their likes and dislikes with food. I truly appreciate the experience of food enjoyment that I get to give to my clients on a regular basis. Working in Las Vegas as a Private Chef is never boring and always something new. I’ve prepared such a wide variety of menus for bridal showers, business events, bachlorette parties, Super Bowl parties, special private dinners, just to name a few.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

The 4 qualities that are very important for myself are: knowledgeable in multiple cuisines: American,Swiss, German and Italian cuisines.

Developing and preparing interesting and creative recipes.

Having a keen sense of taste and smells to create meals that guests will enjoy.

Time Management skills to ensure efficiency in meal preparation and service.

To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?

My mother taught me about cooking , as a child my mother would come home from work and prepare a variety of dinners 3-4 nights per week. I loved my mother’s cooking, which lead me to become a chef. Understanding that food makes families/people happy. As a teenager, I learned and studied cake decorating. As I started to get better at it, I then started baking cookies and pies. Then I gradually move on to preparing meatloaf, stuffed cabbage, spaghetti and meat sauce, and fried and roasted chicken dishes. The foundation that my mom gave me fuel my love of cooking for others.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.chefjstokes.com
• Instagram: privatechefjon2020
• Facebook: Personal / Private Chef Jon Stokes
• Linkedin: Personal / Private Chef Jon Stokes
• Twitter: @PersonalChefJon
• Youtube: Chef Jon Stokes
• Yelp: Personal / Private Chef Jon Stokes