About Jo Notkin, Founder and Executive Chef of Zoe Ford Catering
Jo Notkin started Zoe Ford Catering in 2009 so she could feed people the type of food she loves to eat at parties – beautiful, simple and delicious. She considers sharing food to be one of life’s greatest joys. Jo named the company after her late grandmother from whom she inherited her fresh aesthetic, keen eye for detail, creative spirit and penchant for the art of hospitality.
Jo is a native Montrealer with ties to the seaside town of Gloucester, Massachusetts, where she spent summers growing up and discovering the sheer magic of lobster parties and handmade strawberry rhubarb pie. Beyond her role as a caterer, Jo has been many things: among them, a jewelry creator for Aldo shoes in her late teens, a champion oyster shucker in her 20’s, a designer and manufacturer of sustainable textiles in her 30’s, and in her 40’s a chocolatière, a chef and a contestant Food Network Canada’s Top Chef Canada Season 8.