By Christine Hamelin
with photography by Ian MacAlpine
Tommy Hunter’s journey — from cook to thriving entrepreneur, legendary philanthropist and beloved local personality — has followed one simple recipe: dream big, have fun, work hard, surround yourself with good friends, and share your success with the community you love.
He and his older sister grew up on a dairy and beef farm in Joyceville. Their father, Ivan, of Irish descent, lived on the farm his people had worked on for over 150 years; he became pen pals with their mother, Maryfil, from the Philippines. Maryfil’s mother came to Canada to meet Ivan and make sure he was suitable — and stayed at the farm. “You didn’t mess with my grandma! She was a tough old broad,” Tommy recalls. Maryfil came to Canada in 1983.
Tommy loved his childhood. “There’s a school, a prison and lots of farms in Joyceville,” he says. “There’s not a lot going on there.” Still, he was very happy, playing in the hay mounds, driving his ATV through fields and making forts in the forest. He even had his own pony. Like most farm kids, he developed a strong work ethic. “As soon as you turn five, you’re in the barn before and after school.” But there was still time to go on long bike rides through the countryside with his friends.
“I knew early on that I was far too social to be isolated on a farm,” Tommy reflects. . . .
