About Jon
It’s such a joy for me when people recreate my recipes, it makes my day when I receive all the lovely messages that I do.
My Cooking Journey
2005 - 2009
I left school at 16 without any idea of what I wanted to go on and do. This led to me feeling frustrated, angry and lost. Long story short, at 18 I found myself being sentenced to 6 ½ years in a young offenders institute.
During my time in custody, with help, I changed my mindset and my mentality. As part of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award I learnt to cook. I went on to become the first person in custody to achieve a Bronze, Silver and Gold award. Two weeks before my release I was awarded my Gold at the palace by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh himself.
In 2010, after gaining my professional cookery qualifications, I was employed by Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver. It was here that my passion for food really started. I remember being around the chefs who loved what they did, I loved the taste and smells of all the fresh herbs and vegetables that I had never seen or even heard of before. I often describe that moment as when the fire started raging in me.
I worked for his restaurants for five years. On my days off, I would often work for free in top restaurants around the country just to learn what I could.
2010 - 2015
2015 - 2016
In 2015 I started working for myself. I bought a food truck, ‘JON’S STREAT Food’ which I parked up in St Albans city centre and served delicious street food. As time went by I had a lot of amazing opportunities from cooking for celebrities to being involved in national advertising campaigns.
In 2016 I took on the three month catering contract for the X Factor which involved me cooking in the famous X Factor house.
From 2017 I took on a corporate contract and an events contract, which meant I was often cooking for as many as up to 300 people.
In 2020 when the coronavirus pandemic hit, almost all of my work had disappeared which put me in quite a difficult position. Thankfully the resilience I had learnt from taking part in the DofE meant that I was able to adapt.
I started to create and share recipes, at first out of boredom, but I realised very quickly that they were very popular. It has become something that I take great enjoyment from doing. Being able to share my passion with others only heightens the love that I have for it.
2017 - 2020
2020 - 2021
In 2021 I cooked twice on Britain’s biggest live cooking stage, ITV’s This Morning. Years earlier I had created a vision board, and on part of that vision board I had photoshopped myself cooking on This Morning.
After a lot of people asking, I started to write a cookbook.
With lots of media attention around the journey I’ve been on, I was invited into schools, prisons, and even business events to tell my story. It feels so special to be able to motivate and inspire people from all walks of life.
In 2022, I took on a temporary apprentice via Hertfordshire Probation Service for two days a week. I spent time mentoring him whilst showing him how to cook classic dishes.
2021 - 2022
2023 - Now
In October 2023 my debut cookbook ‘Watts Cooking’ was released. During the launch week I showcased the book on ITV’s popular daytime show This Morning. Book number 2 incoming!
