Columbia Gorge-raised Thomas Bonnette has worked in many kitchens in his life, between the mainland and the big island of Maui, but he has now returned to his home state of Oregon to serve up Hawaiian fare to the masses from his Boring-based food truck.
Bonnette started serving food to-go from his Sandy home in April, and now has his truck parked in the food cart pod neighboring the Boring Post Office on Highway 212.
Bonnette’s exposure to the food industry started at the young age of 10 years old. Bonnette, now 50, reminisces on times his grandmother would take him out to eat in The Dalles and he would wander into the kitchen.
“Eventually, she told the owners: ‘If he goes back there again, put him to work,’” Bonnette recalled fondly. And that’s when he started his career as a dishwasher. He learned to cook around the age of 14, and then started cooking professionally around 19.
“It was something I just fell in love with,” he explained. “I loved creating things.”
Bonnette worked in his fair share of McDonalds and lower-scale restaurants before climbing the ladder. He learned the art of pastry and crafting French desserts, as well as all of the technical requirements of working in a larger kitchen.