Jonathan Perno

The Climb

The kitchen at Los Poblanos was under Jonathan Perno’s direction in 2015, a post that put technique, consistency, and command of the line on display early. By 2025, he had moved into the role of Executive Chef and partner at Forty Nine Forty, carrying the same discipline into a new room.

Today

In 2025, Jonathan Perno took on his current role as Executive Chef and Partner at Forty Nine Forty in Corrales. That position keeps him working inside the foodways he knows best, with New Mexico’s ingredients and regional flavors still setting the terms of the menu. The restaurant does not change the center of his cooking. Rio Grande Valley Cuisine remains the frame: local product, attention to place, and a kitchen approach that follows what the ingredient gives rather than imposing a fixed script.

In Their Words “Food has a life. I learned how to communicate with an onion or a carrot. I had to let go and see where it would take me. The job is to draw the best out of the product, not force it to be something else.” “I’m thrilled to join the team at Restaurant Forty Nine Forty. Returning to the kitchen in this capacity allows me to continue exploring and sharing the diverse flavors of New Mexico with our guests.”