We cook, everybody eats.

At the onset of the pandemic, Chef TJ Conwi and his team at Ono Vancouver began turning surplus food into thousands of meals per week for the community.

Volunteers from Vancouver Food Runners drive the food to six different non-profit organizations in downtown Vancouver and on the Downtown Eastside.

To date, the team has cooked over 450,000 meals for charity at no charge, and diverted over 12 tonnes of food from the landfill.

ReRoot is a new brand with the same mission, developed by Chef TJ Conwi and Chef Sean McDonald. By turning a small portion of the surplus food into a product line, we hope to bring in enough revenue to keep feeding the community for years to come.

Read about us:

Meet the Team

  • Person wearing a black apron and brown cap with a dark background

    Chef TJ Conwi

    TJ Conwi is a chef, community leader, and owner of Ono Vancouver. Previously, he was an executive chef at Delta Hotels Vancouver Downtown Suites and he helped open the Coast Coal Harbour Hotel in time for the 2010 Olympics. His culinary style is focused on local and organic ingredients, rooted in his childhood in the Philippines and inspired by West Coast cuisine. Secretly, his favourite snack is chicharon (pork rinds).

  • Chef Sean McDonald

    Sean McDonald is the chef de cuisine at Ono Vancouver, bringing more than 15 years of experience in the food industry. Previously, he worked at Wildebeest and Marriott hotels. He grew up in Burnaby, and when he's not in the kitchen he loves camping and going to shows. Professionally, his favourite foods are charcuterie and preserves, but privately, it's Schwartzie's potatoes.
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