About Jònz
Our first principle as a company has always been an uncompromising drive to give our customers food that exceeds all of their expectations. Our food is never bland, and never from the “rubber chicken circuit.” From the Executive Chef to the dish washer, flavor comes first with Jònz.
Jònz catering was founded in response to what we seemed to experience at every wedding or catered corporate event we attended:
- Bored-looking servers in the same white shirt/black tie uniform wishing they were somewhere else.
- Food that looked like a doorstop but didn’t taste as good.
- Décor that was out of date when most of the guests were born.
We believed it was time for a fresh approach to making memorable events. This approach takes into account current trends in fine dining and event planning, and evolves to reflect the demands of an increasingly knowledgeable general public.
David Dagley
Owner
David was raised in East Tennessee and spent countless days learning classic French techniques as well as Southern comfort food at the side of his grandfather who lived farm to table cooking long before it was a marketing slogan. David’s first paid food service job was as a 15 year old dishwasher in a high volume dinner house where he soon moved into food prep and cooking positions. After high school, David made a 4000 mile move west to attend the University of Hawai’i. Continuing to work his way through school, he was introduced to exciting new food cultures ranging from Korean to Japanese to Thai while also absorbing the unique flavors of Polynesia. In his decades as a chef, David has worked in kitchen types too numerous to list, but includes: small bistros, high end corporate dining, on board ships & hotel resorts. David has cooked for dozens of “A” listers, including: John Travolta, Phillip Glass, Vice President Joe Biden, former Boeing & Ford CEO Alan Mulally and The Monkees. In 2009, the Puget Sound Business Journal named David one of Seattle’s 40 under 40. David is a member of the American Culinary Federation, Washington State Chef’s Association, International Association of Culinary Professionals & the National Association of Catering Executives. David lives in Old Town Tacoma with his wife and business partner Linda and a revolving cast of canines.
Certifications: ACF, WSCA, IACP
Linda Dagley
Owner
Linda has worked since she was 15 years old as a server, bartender, general manager and food service director in restaurants, hotels, resorts and catering companies all over the Seattle and Tacoma areas as well as in California, Montana and Wyoming. She has experience with all kinds of cuisine and clientele. For 3 years, Linda was the GM of the Boeing account at Longacres, where she planned menus and events for Alan Mulally, the President of the Commercial Airline Group, who hosted many foreign dignitaries who were onsite to discuss airplane purchases. She has served many celebrities throughout her career including: Tom Selleck, Eddie Van Halen, Valerie Bertinelli, Yvonne DeCarlo, John Grisham, Johnny & June Cash & Charles Kuralt.
Catering has always been her passion; she has a background in design and marketing and loves the creative aspect of coordinating events from start to finish. She prides herself on bringing her guests excellent food and professional service to make each event something you will never forget.
Linda loves boating, scuba diving and traveling. In her younger years, she was quite the adventurer and has been diving with sharks in Mexico and Thailand, been skydiving in Washington and California, hiked glaciers in New Zealand and climbed ancient ruins in the Yucatan. She adores animals and spent almost 10 years as a foster mom for small rescue dogs. She has lived in Tacoma with her furry 4-legged critters and her husband & business partner David for the last 10 years.
Kelly Jardine
Catering Director
Kelly has grown up in the food business, as early as 5 years old walking from school to her great grandparent’s restaurant. Her first jobs were always in food service. After high school, she worked both FOH & BOH in her uncle’s charming restaurant along Highway 1 on the California Coast. She had tried to break out of the business, going to college and studying other subjects, but her love of cooking, food, events and working with clients has always brought her back.
Kelly is thrilled to be a part of the Jonz family and be a part of a business that has the passion she holds near and dear.
Shannan Lunde
Catering and Event Sales
Shannan was raised within the food/catering industry and felt it was a natural fit once she was ready to make a career for herself.
Pre-Pandemic Shannan was in the office at Jònz full-time. But in October 2020, her and her husband sold their home, bought an RV and started traveling full time with their kids. So far they have been to 22 states, multiple National Parks and have crossed many things off their bucket list! She is now working fully remote while continuing to travel and explore. She’s so grateful to be with a company that understands the importance of work/life balance and career flexibility.
