The life of Jean León is the wine world’s most incredible success story.
It is a breathtaking story of a boy who had lived an insecure childhood, who runs away from home, travels unbeknownst to himself as a stowaway to the United States, finds himself fighting in the Korean War, entertains Hollywood film stars and presidents in Beverly Hills, and returns to his roots in Catalonia to produce celebrated wines from illegally imported vines.
Respected wines are still produced under his name, a book has been written about him and a film starring Dennis Hopper, Paul Newman and Robert Wagner has been directed about him. How did Jean León find his way from rags to riches, and how did his dreams become true?
Jean León was born into a poor northern Spanish family in 1928. He was given the name Ceferino Carrión. Life showed its shadowy side to Ceferino and his eight siblings when the family lost all its possessions in the destructive fire in their home town of Santander in 1941. The family moved to Barcelona where the father and the older brother got work on a fishing boat. Only two months later Ceferino received shocking news – his father and brother’s boat had been torpedoed, and all the crew members had died.
Mired in poverty, Ceferino decided to pack his bags when he was 19 and leave his mother and seven siblings in Barcelona. With three friends he traveled to Paris, where he worked as a waiter and interpreter. After two years spent in Paris, the friends intended to continue their journey to Guatemala. In Le Havre, Ceferino was missing a document, which he was forced to retrieve from Paris in order to board the ship. Upon his return, the ship and his friends had left. After he had tried to get on seven ships, pretending to be a crew member, he finally hid as a stowaway in the cargo hold of one of them. Soon Cefarino was, unbeknownst to him, on his way to New York. Thanks to help from a crew member, he was able to enter the country without papers aided by the four English phrases he had learned.
In New York, he found his way to the bar of his father’s second cousin and took on work as a dishwasher. After only two months spent in New York, he was robbed. After losing all his personal papers, he began using the name Justo Ramón León. A week later, he found work at a club restaurant in Rockefeller Center. He picked up dirty plates for the salary of four dollars a day. Customers made the work interesting. Daily he met high-ranking politicians and celebrities, the most famous of whom was
Bing Crosby. After working in Rockefeller Center for half a year, León leaves the job. The constant fear of authorities and hiding from them made him travel to Los Angeles.
Hollywood’s show business glamour greatly fascinated the young Spaniard. He believed that all is possible in the city of the stars, also for him. To fulfill his dream he needed to get United States citizenship. The Korean War offered a solution to the problem. Americans were drafting volunteer soldiers for the war that began in 1950, and these soldiers were rewarded the country’s citizenship for their bravery. Should he survive the war, he could legally return to his new native country.
Few can say that they emerged from the Korean War as a victor, but Ceferino Carrión, who fought for two years, can. He returned and received a lawful life in Hollywood. Along with the big change and going with the spirit of the times, he also decided to change his name along with his nationality. From 1953 onwards, he was known by the name Jean León.
James Dean and Jean León quickly became best friends. James Dean promised to be the godfather of Jean León’s first born, and soon they were planning a restaurant together in Beverly Hills. While Jean León managed practical matters regarding finding the restaurant, James Dean financed the project.
On Friday, September 30, 1955, tragedy stepped into Jean León’s life again. He received a message about James Dean’s accidental death. They were due to sign the contract of sale for the new restaurant on the following Monday. Jean León, however, decided to fulfill their mutual dream. He financed the founding of the restaurant through loan, and on April 1, 1956, La Scala opened its doors in Beverly Hills.