Chef Jonathan (Jon) Sobol first became interested in the Culinary field at the age of 17 – as a result of travelling to France as a Rotary Exchange Student. Upon returning to Canada, Jon was accepted for employment as a member of the Rimrock Hotel (Banff) culinary staff. Under the tutelage of Executive Chef Yoshi Chubachi, Jon progressed well and was recommended to take the two-year accelerated Culinary program at S.A.I.T. - successfully obtaining his Journeyman’s Certification of Culinary Excellence and Culinary Red Seal.
Throughout his subsequent positions as Chef (Ottawa and Calgary), Jon developed a reputation for being a driven, hard-working and conscientious individual. He also became known for his culinary ability – and worked hard to improve his skills, his knowledge and his ingenuity. Learning was, very clearly, extremely important to Jon, who chose working a month (for free) in Chef Blumenthal’s “The Fat Duck” (Berkshire, England) Restaurant when offered the opportunity. Jon returned to Calgary (from Ottawa) in 2013, first accepting an Executive Chef Position with Redwater Rustic Grille, and then moving onto “Farm Restaurant” on 17th Avenue (Calgary). Jon flourished in this position, as he fully supported and cherished the concept of “Farm to Plate”. Buying local, and supporting the farmers in the area, became crucial to Chef’s basic beliefs. In 2015, Jon accepted the Executive Chef’s position at Starbelly – an upscale, 175-seat restaurant in South Calgary. He continued to create culinary delights, using fresh and local ingredients. The amazing success of this restaurant during his presence was evidence that his efforts were extremely appreciated.
Chef Jon also began focusing more on the community – volunteering at a local school (Haysboro Elementary) where he guided and assisted students/parents to build a community garden on school grounds. Harvest time resulted in the Chef attending to cook the food they grew. Simply put, Jon understood the importance of getting our youth involved in healthy and fresh food. He also orchestrated fund-raisers, calling on fellow Chefs to assist in projects which were good for the community (i.e. to expand the Community Garden project at the Calgary South Campus Hospital).
Chef Jon, along with Cinematographer and friend Alec Bracegirdle, were returning from a visit to a farm near Irricana on August 30th, 2016 when a vehicle on the wrong side of the road struck them head-on. Both Jon and Alec were killed upon impact.
In Jon’s memory, we are creating the Chef Jonathan Sobol Memorial Award. Its purpose is to provide financial assistance to a student in the Professional Cooking or Cook Apprentice program who shares Jon’s passion for mentoring and supporting children and youth through culinary education. Jon’s parents, Bob and Gina Sobol, will be matching all gifts to the endowment up to $50,000 to get to their goal of $100,000. This award will embolden countless students to bring their passion for the culinary industry to their communities and lead by example just as Jon did, in perpetuity. It is also focused on inspiring people to connect to the foods they are eating by learning where it comes from (supporting local farmers and agricultural producers) for all time, no matter what the changes are in the agricultural world.
Anyone interested in financially supporting the Chef Jonathan Sobol Memorial Endowment Fund is invited to connect to the Fund Administrator (SAIT), using the “Donate” button found on this page. Alternatively, a cheque can be made payable to SAIT (referencing this Endowment Fund in the memo line) and mailed to the following address.
SAIT Heritage Hall AA305 1301 - 16 Avenue NW, Calgary, AB T2M 0L4
All donors receive a charitable tax receipt from SAIT for the value of their donation. 100% of your gift is used for the exclusive purpose of funding this memorial endowment