Brother Jon's

Family Business Continues To Evolve Year After Year

Both Shaker Woods Festival as well as the Old-Fashioned Christmas in the Woods festival have become staples of the Columbiana County summer/fall activities. Shaker Woods just celebrated its 40th anniversary, and Christmas in the Woods will celebrate 27 years this October. There are few original vendors still with both the shows, and even fewer food vendors.

Brother Jon’s represents one of the last legacy food vendors, truly standing the test of time. Jay and Mary Beth Herchik opened Brother Jon’s as their third food booth in the wooded festival back in 1988, while their son Jon was only 10 years old. The menu at the time was simple, a DiRusso’s sausage sandwich and potato cheese pierogi.

In 2001, Jon became less of the boy doing the odd jobs around the booth to the true face and name of the business as he and his wife Heather took over the operation. Over the years the menu has changed with the addition of Smoked Kielbasa, Haluski, bacon smoked soft pretzel, as well as the most recent addition of the Hunkie Hand Grenade, however the staple of the DiRusso sausage and Pierogi remain the same. This simple yet delicious food has led to development of quite a following of loyal Brother Jon’s patrons. Including quite a few from Pittsburgh who state that the Pierogi are better than they can find in their local neighborhoods!

As time continues you can see the family business evolving once again, as Jon and Heather’s children are being trained to man the helm one day and allow the legacy to continue. You can frequently see Brooke (14) working the stove, Kacie (13) on the flat top, and even young Jonathan (7) learning the ropes at the front counter. While the faces at Brother Jon’s have and are changing, rest assured the commitment to quality and flavor has remained and will remain the same as it was from the very beginning!

Brother Jon’s is located in Concession Food Area B.