Leslie grew up in Port Hope. She has always loved living in a small town, and some of her best memories of her teenage years include working in small local shops and restaurants.

In 1989, Leslie was accepted to Loyalist College in Belleville to study Restaurant and Hotel Management.

It was here, that she began to realize her dream would be to one day own a restaurant of her own.

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After Graduating in 1991, Leslie spent the next 10 years working in some well-known Cobourg restaurants, Ye Olde English Fish and Chip Shop and The Matterhorn, before she finally got the opportunity she had been waiting for.

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In June 2001, her dream became a reality when she got the chance to buy the HomePlate from a family member who was selling.

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This Began her journey as a restaurant owner, which is now 18 years in the making, including the building of a brand-new restaurant.

For the past year and a half Leslie has been living a Vegan lifestyle and after realizing the need for more Vegan options at restaurants, she has enjoyed incorporating vegan options into the HomePlate menu. Some of her favourites include the plant-based bean burger and the house-made bruschetta.

Sefan grew up in the family run restaurant. He began working in the kitchen at 14 years old, and at a young age began to realize his love and passion for food.

In 2012, after being accepted to George Brown College for Culinary Management, Sefan took off to Toronto. He attended College for 2 years gaining lots of new skills and experiences.

He stayed in Toronto for 5 years, working in many different restaurants, such as Sassafraz and Scaddabush, using each restaurant as a new opportunity to develop his creative niche for food.

In 2017, he decided to come back to where it all began, bringing with him all his new skills and learnings, to join forces with his mom and open a brand new HomePlate location.

Together, they have worked to keep the classic menu that HomePlate is known for while also adding a dinner menu and some new signature dishes; including his famous Cheesecakes, house-made hollandaise and an appetizer menu made completely from scratch.

Jaclyn met Sefan in 2012, while also going to school in Toronto. She studied Social Work at Ryerson University, while working as a Barista at Starbucks.

Jaclyn joined the HomePlate team in 2017, as a front house manager. Jaclyn is Sefan’s wife and Leslie’s right Hand.

Although she did not always see herself running a restaurant, she is enjoying her role at the HomePlate and has been surprised by just how many social work skills you can use when opening and running a brand new restaurant location.