ABOUT

MANIFESTO for our community

Keeping it real is important. For us that means making everything from scratch using quality Canadian ingredients. Our organic flour for example, comes from right here in Ontario. Just like the maple syrup, honey and local fruits we use to sweeten our delicious desserts - never white or brown sugar. The incredible cheeses we use come from Ontario and Quebec and our meat, fruit and veggies from the best farms around Hamilton.

Using local Ingredients supports farmers and food artisans and helps connect people to their food source. Buying local helps create a vibrant and diverse economy in our community and connects us to one another.

W I N N E R

2018 Best LOCAL CHEF
2018 Best food Truck
2017 FOOD4KIDS BIG HEARTS AWARD (HAMILTON)
2016 Best Food Truck, best catering, best sandwich
2016 Best Caterer
2015 BEST LOCAL CHEF, BEST CATERING, BEST FOOD TRUCK, BEST SANDWICH
2014 BEST FOOD TRUCK
2013 BEST FOOD TRUCK

Instagram @jonnyblonde
Twitter @jonnyblonde
Facebook Jonny Blonde Food Truck & Catering

Commitment to LOCAL

Jonny Blonde is a local catering events and foodtruck business serving Niagara to Hamilton to GTA. Jonny Blonde - aka Jonathan Tjerkstra- is also a chef with 25 years experience who is inspired by the ingredients he uses, the farmers and artisans he works with and his fans - the people who love his food and support his business.

His commitment to local starts in the kitchen with the quality local ingredients he uses. He sources hormone-free meats and fresh seasonal ingredients and makes everything from scratch – from butchering his meat, to homemade breads, salads and delicious sauces.
Outside of the kitchen, Jonny and Layal are committed members of their community where they support numerous charities, area farmers and businesses.

After nearly a decade of catering other people’s weddings, with the help of their amazing team, Layal and Jonny catered their own big wedding at their dear friends farm this past August 2022 ( Manorun Organic Farm). It was a beautiful day they will be forever grateful for. In 2023 they will celebrate one year married, and ten years as a couple and business this summer.

jonny

Jonny Blonde has been cooking professionally for over fifteen years. Born in Spain and raised in Hamilton, Jonny dropped out of high school and got his first job in a kitchen at a chicken wing joint. He went on to make a name for himself at two of Burlington/Oakville’s finest Italian restaurants (La Costa and Amici-Impazza Ristorante) and soon after was designing tapas menus at popular Burlington Lakeside cafe, Fava in the Middle.

When opportunity knocked, he moved to Toronto to work for Cumbrae’s high end butcher shops, selling prepared gourmet foods and naturally-raised meats. At Cumbrae's, Jonny was introduced to artesanal food and it’s ties to health, the environment, local farmers and sustainability, which had a major influence on his cooking. Soon he was head chef of Cumbrae’s newest kitchen in Dundas, where he began participating in cooking competitions and regularly appearing on local television to cook and talk about food.

Although Jonny had found his passion in cooking, he went back to school, completing his GED and attending McMaster part-time towards a degree in Economics. The degree now hangs on his wall - a reminder that he can do anything and that cooking is his #1 choice, not his only option. Operating out of Hamilton, Jonny feels blessed to be able to do what he loves in the city he calls home.

Jonny Blonde has been cooking professionally for over fifteen years. Born in Spain and raised in Hamilton, Jonny dropped out of high school and got his first job in a kitchen at a chicken wing joint. He went on to make a name for himself at two of Burlington/Oakville’s finest Italian restaurants (La Costa and Amici-Impazza Ristorante) and soon after was designing tapas menus at popular Burlington Lakeside cafe, Fava in the Middle.

When opportunity knocked, he moved to Toronto to work for Cumbrae’s high end butcher shops, selling prepared gourmet foods and naturally-raised meats. At Cumbrae's, Jonny was introduced to artesanal food and it’s ties to health, the environment, local farmers and sustainability, which had a major influence on his cooking. Soon he was head chef of Cumbrae’s newest kitchen in Dundas, where he began participating in cooking competitions and regularly appearing on local television to cook and talk about food.

Although Jonny had found his passion in cooking, he decided to go back to school, completing his GED and attending McMaster part-time towards a degree in Economics. The degree now hangs on his wall - a reminder that he can do anything and that cooking is his #1 choice, not his only option. Operating out of Hamilton, Jonny feels blessed to be able to do what he loves in the city he calls home.

layal

Layal Al-Haidari is Jonny's partner in life and business. Six months after meeting Jon in 2012, Layal made a radical shift, quitting her job in Toronto and moving to the Hamilton area to open their food truck in July 2013. Layal handles everything outside of the kitchen - from coordinating and booking events, to staffing and managing the business, to managing social media. Layal has a Bachelor of Journalism and a Masters in Documentary Media from Ryerson University. Prior to catering, Layal spent ten years in Toronto working in television current affairs, documentary and media relations, while bartending and serving part-time - all of which has provided invaluable experience in her current role as an entrepreneur in the food industry. You can reach out to her about an event via email at [email protected]
and on Instagram via @jonnyblondefoodtruck

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