licence to grill
from the community, for the community
Jon and Layal are co-owners of Hamilton proud Jonny Blonde. I say Hamilton proud because their manifesto is to use as much local ingredients as possible. To quote Jon “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.”
Cooking with conscience
It’s not just local that interests this avant-garde chef, it’s the quality and purity of the ingredients as well, “Keeping it real is important. For us that means everything is made 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.”
Even their take out containers and cutlery are all bio-degradable, being ever conscience of their environmental footprint, and they also have a variety of vegetarian and vegan options that are ridiculously tasty!
Character, and then some!
The more we got to know Jon and Layal, the more we realized they are no ordinary people. I was amazed to learn of their diverse backgrounds and experiences, especially Jon’s wilderness stories while he was living in the bush in B.C. They were just super cool people, and we knew this was going to be a great shoot.
from aprons to evening coats
Marta did the Art Direction and concept, and from there selected her team with Yomi Adefala for wardrobe styling, Brenda from Vibrant Beauty for the Hair & Makeup, and of course, yours truly as the assistant. Like she had a choice there ;)
Once the shoot was over and we were looking at the pictures I couldn’t help but think “James Bond”. Then I started, ‘Blonde, Jonny Blonde” and proposed to Marta that we make a movie poster with her image.
We ping ponged some ideas off of each other and then Marta went to work on making the poster. Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce Jonny Blonde and Lay-All in, Licence to Grill
If you are interested in trying some of their DELICIOUS meals, which I highly suggest you do, they have a gourmet food truck, and their restaurant is located at 664 Concession St, in Hamilton, Ontario. You can order online at http://www.jonnyblonde.com/
