Rebecca Bishop isn’t surprised her son, Jon Vann, is training to become a chef in Southern California. She said he has enjoyed cooking since his childhood on the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming.
“When he was little, he really liked to cook,” Bishop said. “He’s super serious about it.”
The ante is now upped for the 29-year-old Northern Arapaho. He’s no longer merely making frybread and barbecue ribs for family and friends. Instead, he’s preparing baked Alaska and Dobos torte in a sophisticated culinary area where restaurants are frequented by celebrities.
But before he starts a career as a chef in a high-profile restaurant, Vann must earn his chef’s hat by completing the Pasadena-based California School of Culinary Arts’ 15-month associated degree program in occupational studies. He expects to complete the degree within a few months.
“I’m planning to apply for openings,” Vann said during a recent visit to the reservation. “We do a lot of work with Wolfgang Puck. I might try to go with Wolfgang Puck in Hollywood.”
Vann, who said he misses Wyoming’s open spaces, said he had “toyed” with the idea of coming back to the reservation to retire and opening a restaurant serving traditional American Indian foods.
For now, though, he likes the fast pace and the many career opportunities the Golden State affords.
He added that he is not completely surrounded by urban areas in California, with the beach and mountains just an hour’s drive from his home in Riverside.
Vann left for Long Beach, Calif, to live with his father, Bill, when he was 13. Before that, he grew up in a ranching family along 17 Mile and Yellowcalf roads, in Arapahoe and Ethete, respectively.
Making a living primarily indoors is new to Vann, Bishop said.
For most of his life, Vann was active, often working outside as a young ranch hand or a construction worker.
“In California, he hurt his back carrying stuff on his shoulders while laying tile a few years ago,” Bishop said.
“About two years ago, I told him he should start taking care of his body,” she said. “That’s when he said he was going to start being a chef. I’m so proud and excited for my son.”
During his early days as a construction worker, Vann was “wild,” often drinking to excess, Bishop said. But he changed once he met his wife, Cathy.
“Ever since he got with Cathy, he’s a total family man,” Bishop said.
Asked if he had any secret recipes, Vann said: “I don’t have secrets. If you keep them secret, what’s the point? I’m willing to show anybody if they’re willing to learn.”
During his recent visit, Vann showed his family how to make a cheese sauce for mashed potatoes and incorporate spices in their cooking.
Among his favorite spices are paprika, lemon pepper, onion salt and garlic salt.
Although there are some spice/food combinations that complement each other well, such as rosemary and sage with chicken and lamb, Vann stressed there is no hard-and-fast rule when it comes to using spices.
“A lot of time when cooking, you come up with ideas on the spot,” he said. “If it doesn’t taste right, add something else. It’s a learning experience.”
