He cooked his way around the world. Then he chose Affton.

Jon, in his kitchen.

10020 Gravois. The one he chose.

Jonathan lives right down the road in Oakville. Before that, he spent ten years cooking on Royal Caribbean ships. Eighteen hour days. Dining rooms full of people from everywhere, most of them he'd never see twice. He learned how to feed a crowd and how to make it excellent, every plate, every night.

Then he brought all of it to South County. In January 2013 he opened a 34 seat diner on Gravois, small enough that he can see every booth from the kitchen door. A month later a competing breakfast place opened right next door. He stayed. He's still here.

He could have cooked anywhere. He picked Affton, and now he cooks for people he knows by name.

He still steps out between orders to say good morning. Regulars walk up to the kitchen door and call out "Hi, Jon" on their way to the table. Sometimes they call ahead and tell him when they'll be in, and it's on the table when they walk through the door.

The hash browns are made from real potatoes because he refused to use frozen. The potatoes are boiled, then fried. Your eggs are cooked in butter or bacon grease, whichever you like. The green beans get onions and a few tomatoes tossed in, because that's how he likes them. If something's wrong, he doesn't send someone out to apologize. He fixes it himself.