Episode 11: Jon Bonnell
Throwing himself wholly into everything he does, Chef Jon Bonnell discovered a long time ago that busy hands are happy hands. As one of the foremost experts on cooking fine wild game, he talks about hunting and fishing with his family and how those memories enhance a meal. His grandfather used to say, “the more sunrises you watch, the longer you’ll live,” and Jon Bonnell still lives by that.
Keeping himself busy through cooking, charity work, and triathlons, Jon Bonnell tells how he started his career as a teacher and then made a calculated leap to cooking. It took humility to be a beginner, but he was eager to learn everything he could. Clearly his dedication and hard-work paid off. When the pandemic hit, Jon Bonnell and his team had to make a massive pivot. In this episode, he shares how he saw the true power of people coming together to support each other. He saw firsthand that when one rises, all rise. In an effort to lift others, he shared on Facebook different restaurants that needed a little love and the neighborhood continually showed up. This fourth generation Fort Worthian continues to make the city proud and we’re eagerly awaiting the opening of his fourth restaurant.
Don’t miss out on learning from Chef Jon Bonnell’s drive, generosity, humility, kindness, hard-work, and flexibility. A true Fort Worth icon and a legend that we can all learn a great deal from.
Mentioned this week on Stories with Soul
Carry Out, Carry On- A Year in the Life of a Texas Chef
Jon Bonnell’s Waters: Fine Coastal Cuisine
Jon Bonnell’s Fine Texas Cuisine
