Meet Your Neighbor
Chef Big Jon of Sinfully Wright Catering by Anthony D. Diallo
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hef and caterer Jonathan Wright starts by marinating the beef tenderloins. This will take approximately four hours. Then he must tend to the grilled asparagus. Later, he applies the finishing touches: a splash of red wine and some Caribbean garlic rub. Voila! A signature dish is born: beef tenderloins with grilled asparagus and roasted garlic mashed potatoes. This “food designer,” as Wright prefers to call himself, has been tickling the taste buds and delighting dozens of distinctive palates with his scrumptious meals since 1989. A Philadelphia native, Wright has lived more than half of his life in the District. Just turning 55, he’s called Ward 8’s Parkland neighborhood his home for the past 21 years. “When I attended Howard University in the 1980s, I did not envision my life going in this exact direction. But, I have little to no regrets,” said Wright, who majored in labor relations and business communications with a minor in hotel management.
A Mentor To Kids
His closest family and friends call Wright “Big Jon.” One might attribute this nickname to his massive phy-
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sique. However, Wright earned it with his substantial generosity toward community members. He has mentored many Ward 8 youngsters. “In my 30 years of business, I have had many apprentices that have come through Sinfully Wright Catering to learn the craft and make money and who have then moved on to bigger and better things,” Wright said. He points to Monte Brown, a young man he originally met while attending services at Union Temple Baptist Church. Brown worked for Wright as a kid. He now owns his own catering business, Taste the Occasion Catering, said Wright proudly. Kenneth Gray, Alonzo Medley and Jarrod Williams are all examples of Wright’s impact. Gray, who worked with Wright as a teen, graduated from Hampton University. Now, as a local architect, he assists Wright in the catering business occasionally. Medley, after working in Wright’s kitchen, is now a third-year student at Oregon State University majoring in sports management. Williams, a close family friend and godchild, went on from Wright’s catering company to found Jrodfilms, a production company. Both occasionally return to assist Big Jon on his big events. “At about 12-years-old I hit him up. My father knew that I wanted to make some money on my own, and he encouraged me to work with him. I couldn’t cook, but I was in charge of setting up events and making sure that everything looked pretty,” Williams said. “He’s loving, hard-working, a motivator and definitely a role model for me.” Williams vividly remembers the first catering event that he worked about 20 years ago with his godfather. It was for the Magic Johnson Foundation, held in connection with the famous NBA Hall of Fame. Accord-
