Beloved Fort Worth chef and restaurateur Jon Bonnell<\/a> announced over the weekend that he is undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatment after being diagnosed with cancer.\u00a0<\/p>\n The chef underwent two surgeries and is currently undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatment, Bonnell wrote in a Feb. 1 Facebook post. He was diagnosed in December with stage 3 squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue and mouth, Bonnell wrote.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe prognosis is good, but I will be on this journey to recovery for quite some time, hopefully regaining all of my taste buds, etc by early summer,\u201d Bonnell wrote in the post.\u00a0<\/p>\n The post was accompanied by thousands of comments from Facebook users, offering words of comfort and support for the chef.\u00a0<\/p>\n Bonnell declined the Fort Worth Report\u2019s request for an interview.<\/p>\n Born and raised in the city, Bonnell has contributed to the Cowtown culinary scene since the late 1990s.<\/p>\n In 1997<\/a>, he graduated from the Vermont-based New England Culinary Institute and moved back to Fort Worth to pursue his culinary career.<\/p>\n He owns the dining spots Bonnell\u2019s Fine Texas Cuisine, Waters Restaurant, Jon\u2019s Grille and Buffalo Bros.<\/p>\n Bonnell is also the celebrity chef for Texas Christian University\u2019s Amon G. Carter Stadium, where he oversees the menu when the Horned Frogs football team plays at home.<\/p>\n He\u2019s competed in cook-off events<\/a>, such as the Rattle Battle, and led the 2024 spicy food extravaganza ZestFest<\/a>.<\/p>\n Bonnell\u2019s recognition extends beyond Fort Worth. He\u2019s been featured on national television, including the Food Network, and won back-to-back awards from lifestyle and food magazine Wine Spectator.\u00a0<\/p>\n Aside from three cookbooks, he published <\/a>\u201cCarry Out, Carry On: A Year in the Life of a Texas Chef\u201d in 2020, detailing his experience operating restaurants during COVID-19. He was among local business owners working together to feed first responders<\/a> in the early days of the pandemic.<\/p>\n When deadly flooding struck Central Texas in July, Bonnell offered 10% of proceeds<\/a> from four of his restaurants for the Flood Relief Fund, mental health resources for Camp Mystic Evacuees and Grape Juice restaurant, which provided meals for flood survivors and first responders.<\/p>\n Nicole Lopez is the environment reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at nicole.lopez@fortworthreport.org<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n