Chef Jono at V&V: Meet the award-winning Leeds fine dining chef who thrives off the 'chase'
An award-winning Leeds chef has said owning his own restaurant has been the highlight of his career.
Jonathan Hawthorne, best known as Jono, is the chef patron of one of the city’s few fine dining restaurants, Chef Jono at V&V in New Briggate.
He shot to fame after becoming a finalist on MasterChef: The Professionals in 2020. Two years later, he was crowned Chef of the Year at the prestigious Oliver Awards.
It all began at the age of 16 for Jono. He studied the craft at Thomas Danby, now Leeds City College, following his grandmother’s advice and his first role in the kitchen was at The Box Tree in Ilkley, where he worked his way up to sous chef as a newcomer.
Jono then trained at a number of Michelin-star restaurants across the globe, including Quay Restaurant in Sydney and later, Noma in Denmark.
And what Jono learnt at these top restaurants has shaped the chef he is today.
Jono said: “Obviously you learn a lot more techniques, and you see some really great ingredients that you've not really come across every day.
“I think it's more of just how to run the day to day operations, they work differently - more organised.
“A lot more thought has gone into everything because customers are paying such a premium price.”
His first head chef title came with his appointment at Japanese restaurant Feed, in Pudsey, before he came to lead the kitchen at V&V six years ago.
Just three years later, Jono took over the restaurant.
“It was the right time,” the chef said.
Jono added: “MasterChef came around and I think it was just the right time to do it. I was running it anyway. It was just an easy transition.”
And it’s been a fantastic experience so far for the Leeds chef, who said the freedom that comes with being in charge has been the best bit.
He explained: “You get to make all the decisions yourself, which is scary as well because no one's holding your hand.
“If you want to knock this wall down today, you can knock that down, but tomorrow you need to find a plaster. It's all on you.
“You can get carried away with yourself sometimes, though.”
Jono added: “It's massively changed from six years ago, in terms of different menu options we have now, in terms of the food style that we do.
“It was a bit classical back in the day when I was head chef here, and then as soon as I took it over, we changed to be just a bit more modern, a bit more with the times, and what people want to eat nowadays.”
Chef Jono at V&V offers a modern British dining experience with a focus on seasonal produce and creative cooking.
As well as its five course tasting menus, Chef Jono at V&V also serves a fine-dining take on Sunday lunch - a five-course menu for £49.
Coming up with new menus, launching new ideas and pushing culinary boundaries is what keeps him going, Jono said.
He said: “You're just chasing something all the time. You're always trying to put a new dish on you, trying to create something,
“Tomorrow you need to come up with a new menu, you've got the Christmas menus to come up with, or new wines, or thoughts of ‘let’s do this’. It's always evolving. It's never stagnant.”