J.F.S. RESTAURANT EQUIPMENT LTD.
Our Story
J.F.S Restaurant Equipment Ltd. was founded in
1979 by John Spyropoulos. The company has
survived mul�ple recessions, COVID, and many
other challenges due to its commitment to
customer service – ensuring that the customer gets
the right product at the right price. Our philosophy
is one of teamwork – making certain that our
customers, suppliers, and staff all stay financially
healthy so that we can do the same.
So how did it all start? Well, John was born in a
small mountain village in central Greece during the
war. The family endured hardships then and during
the post-war civil war. As a teen, John was sent to
work with his uncles in Agriniou where they had a
bakery shop. From there, he moved to Athens and
joined another uncle in the kitchens of the Hilton
where he appren�ced as a sou-chef.
A�er comple�ng his mandatory s�nt in the Greek
army (a period he refers to as ‘training for
marriage’) he emigrated to Canada to work in the
Hilton in Montreal. Arriving in mid-winter, John
quickly came to the conclusion that there had to be
somewhere warmer in this great country and so
hopped on a bus for Toronto where he has lived
ever since.
The GTA became John’s training ground for other
areas of the hospitality industry: working as a
waiter, maître d’, and of course as a chef. And as
everyone knows, in a small establishment, from
�me to �me, the chef becomes the dishwasher as
he found out when he opened his own restaurant
with his cousin during the 70s. The Old Mariner was
a fine-dining seafood house in north Toronto that
thrived un�l it was sold in 1979. As with many
restauranteurs who sell their establishments, John
then took the family on a two-month holiday for a
well-deserved rest.
On his return to Toronto, the ques�on was what to
do next and so John’s Food Service was born, where
John picked up produce from the Ontario Food
Terminal and sold it to the various restaurants
around town. A�er a few weeks of breaking his
back lugging sacs of potatoes and smelling of onions
at the end of the day, as with his army experiences
and his Montreal encounter, John figured out that
there must be a beter way.
In his travels, John was asked about candles, dishes,
small wares and equipment. Due to his knowledge
acquired from working all parts of the house, he
was very familiar with all these items. One by one,
he picked up dealerships and so John’s Food Service
morphed into J.F.S. Restaurant Equipment Ltd.
where we now have virtually all of the dealerships
in the industry.
Today, the company
remains family owned
and run, with John’s
oldest son, Dimitri,
being in charge of
service, and Dimitri’s
son, John (#2), training
to take over John’s (#1)
chair. Regardless of
which family member
you deal with, we all
remember our roots
and always strive to
serve our customers to
the best of our ability –
service, pricing,
knowledge!
JFS IN THE COMMUNITY
J.F.S. IN THE COMMUNITY
As with many small businesses, JFS is an integral part
of our community. We have formed partnerships
with the local police, schools, and city agencies to
promote a healthy community for all of us. In our
neck of the woods, there are many challenges that
must be overcome as there is a significant propor�on
of low-income families with all the challenges that
lack of funds bring.
In 2007, we were invited to join a group that was trying to deal with the number of high school students
who were dealing with poor nutri�on. Rather than trying to feed them directly, we suggested teaching
them how to cook tasty nutri�ous low-cost meals. Thus, the Stone Soup Cooking Club was born.
Thanks to our many friends in the hospitality industry, we were able to ou�it kitchens in two local high
schools through generous dona�ons from our suppliers. Chefs volunteered their �me to teach one of
the weekly sessions. Not only did the students learn to cook, but they also learned
about all the career opportuni�es in the hospitality industry. Police officers who
took part in the program were able to develop
rela�onships with the teens in a friendly se�ng. This
promoted mutual respect and discussion of issues
that could then be resolved.
At its peak, there were three schools in our area and
four in Scarborough and the clubs got together for an
annual cook off – many of them at Humber College. Judges
included representa�ves from our suppliers as well as the Chief of
Police.
Many of the Stone Soup graduates have gone on to become chefs, some owning their own restaurants.
But all of them have a passion and knowledge that lets them feed their families very well indeed.
The program con�nues today with the
coopera�on of Toronto Parks & Recrea�on,
Toronto Public Health, the schools, and the
police. The program
is funded through
the generosity
of ProAc�on
Cops & Kids that
pays for the
weekly groceries.
We are always looking for chefs to come and par�cipate in a session. If you like
young people and want to share your talents, please contact Barbara
Spyropoulos here at JFS and we’ll provide you with more informa�on.