Chef Jon Paton
Chef Jon loves to make people happy with food. He fell in love with cooking when he was 12 years old and has been in the kitchen ever since. He got his start professionally at an early age working in restaurants in and around Columbus, Ohio, where he was born. He then moved to Chicago to immerse himself in the thriving and multicultural restaurant scene there. He worked with a wide variety of cuisines, including Mexican, Chinese, Indian and regional American. He loves learning and applying the science behind great cooking. His favorite food is anything that comes from a pig, and he frequently makes trips to Chicago to experience new ideas and flavor combinations that the brilliant chefs there are always striving to perfect.
Chef Mike Zoeller
Zoeller, one of the chefs at the new Hy-Vee in Sycamore, transferred from the Hy-Vee Burlington #1 store (on Angular Street) where he was chef for two years. Prior to joining the Hy-Vee family, Mike served as a banquet chef, executive chef and kitchen manager/chef at many venues in Burlington, Iowa, and Des Moines, Iowa. Chef Mike started his culinary career as Des Moines Golf & Country Club and was part of the kitchen team for the 1999 U.S. Senior PGA golf tournament. Mike received his Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from the University of Iowa. After a career in sales and marketing for nearly 16 years, he returned to school earning his advanced applied science degree in the culinary arts from Des Moines Area Community College in Ankeny, Iowa. In addition to his passion for cooking, Chef Mike enjoys music and reading and is an exercise enthusiast.