After five rounds and more than 300,000 votes made in IndyStar's Tenderloin Tournament, Jonesy's Junction, located at 906 E Rochester St. in Akron, took the prize for being Indiana's best tenderloin.
Beating 32 competitors, Tim Jones, owner of Jonesy's Junction, said while he isn't sure who nominated him for the competition, the win has been both an honor and a surprise.
Arguable Indiana's most famous contribution to American cuisine, Jones says he's been making tenderloins long before he first opened the restaurant nine years ago, having previously served from a food trailer he first opened in 2010. Jones said the idea behind the food trailer was to serve the local companies during their lunch break and provide the best quality food and portion sizes at a price everyone could afford. On the food trailer, tenderloins were one of his specialties.
Jones' hard work and consistency over the years built his reputation, and in March of 2016 he opened Jonesy's Junction at its current location. Carrying the same mindset from his food trailer over to his restaurant, Jones says all of the meat served at Jonesy's Junction is always fresh, never frozen and hand-cut daily.
"I once had one of my customers tell me she loved my gravy and asked me what gravy mix I used. I don't use mixes, or anything like that. All my food is made from scratch and is fresh. It doesn't come premixed in a package," Jones explained, crediting his mother's cooking as inspiration to his own cooking style at the restaurant.
Jones thanked his loyal customers throughout the years, crediting them for his tens of thousands of votes he received during the tenderloin tournament.
"We have people come from all over, not just Akron," Jones said. "Warsaw, Rochester, Peru, even farther. I see customers from near and far visiting Akron to eat here. On one hand I feel proud because I put in a lot of hard work over the years to get where I am today. At the same time, it was definitely my customers and our community that made it happen. I am very thankful for them."
One Eyed Jack's in Winamac also made top positions in the tenderloin tournament, proving the strength, power, and loyalty small communities truly provide to local business owners.
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