Inspiration on the menu at A.J.’S Kitchen and Catering
Chef Jason Horton said it was always his dream to open his own restaurant, but it wasn't until the deaths of his parents and his sister that he decided to make the jump.
“This was my parents dream, too,'' Horton said, during an interview inside A.J.'S Kitchen and Catering at 135 Kent St. in Charlottetown.
Horton and Amy Beaton, co-owners, opened the doors late spring.
“I lost my parents and my sister 14 months apart, and it was a big thing. They wanted to see me do this. I wasn't the best kid. My father was so proud of me to see me turn my life around from being a little punk-nosed kid to this so there was a lot of inspiration for me to do this.''
Horton said he and Beaton, who had worked together many times before in the restaurant business, looked at each other this past January after Horton's father died and decided now was the time.
“When everything happened, I said, ‘I'm doing it.' (My parents) knew we were going for it and they were pumped solid.''
Beaton said it has always been her dream to feed people good, nutritious food. She previously owned and operated Actual Nutrition Food Services in Stratford.
“My heart aches to feed people,'' she said. “It brings me joy to give someone a meal and know that they're pleased and satisfied. It's basically what I live to do.''
Their friend, Joseph Beeley, works with them in the restaurant. Beeley said he was inspired by their passion, not only to open the business but that Horton and Beaton are so community driven.
“It makes my heart expand,'' Beeley said. “This is absolutely about creating an ultimate experience with these guys' dreams. It's absolutely beautiful.''
Beaton and Horton had worked before at Phinley's in Stratford. That's where Horton created the Bourbon Street burger which won P.E.I. Burger Love last year. And it's on the menu at A.J.'S Kitchen and Catering.
“Our whole concept is purchase with a purpose so our prices are beyond reasonable,'' Beaton said. “We don't want to be charging people $17 for a soup and a sandwich. People work hard for their money and we want to give them value for their money.''
The most expensive meals on the menu are the Montreal smoked meat sandwich, the Bean burger (a veggie burger recipe that comes from Lori Kays, the former co-owner of Beanz on Great George Street in Charlottetown) and the Bourbon bacon cheeseburger. All are $14 each. That price includes a side order (fries, Italian pasta salad, spicy vegetable soup, spicy potato wedges or kettle chips).
“The only menu items we have that are frozen are the French fries, the wedges and the chips,'' Horton said.
Beaton said they want to accommodate all dietary needs and offer vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options.
Beeley added that the restaurant hopes to develop its own garden and start producing its own vegetables next year.