BARTOW, Fla. — Ten hours before dinner is served, Blake Jones steps into his happy place — the kitchen — to start prepping. For Jones, food is therapy. Every piece of pasta and drop of sauce at Tua Pasta in Bartow is made from scratch.

“I want my James Beard award, I want my Michelin Star,” the executive chef said. “I didn’t beat everything I’ve been through for no reason. So, I’m very hungry and there’s no alternative but to be the best.”

Jones’ first job in a kitchen was at Ruby Tuesday when he was 16 years old. Almost two decades later, Jones said he can’t imagine doing anything else.

But in January 2021, Jones thought he might never be able to do what he loves again. He was diagnosed with stage 4B squamous cell carcinoma on his tongue, and it spread quickly.

Squamous cell carcinoma on the tongue is one of the most aggressive tumors in behavior, according to the National Institutes of Health. Doctors told Jones he had a 20% chance of surviving and a guarantee he’d never speak or taste again.

“It was very hard,” Jones said. “I had to get a stomach tube. I thought I could make it through, but even being able to chew and all that, it’s just if there’s no flavor, no taste at all you can’t, it’s not happening.”

Jones went through six months of chemo and 45 days of radiation. During treatment, he lost more than 100 pounds in less than a week.

Now, Jones has hundreds of staples holding his neck together. Three quarters of his tongue was removed and replaced with the artery from his left wrist.

“After everything, I can not only talk, but I’m alive,” Jones said. “And I can do what I love. Play with my daughter, be there for her, show her that no matter what happens in life, that you can overcome it.”

Today, all of Jones’ focus is on creating an unforgettable experience for his customers from the moment they step in the door. Jones said if along the way he can inspire and help others battling cancer, it would mean the world.

“Make sure that you have something you can cling on to,” he said. “For me, it was my daughter. She sent me a Mickey Mouse — something so simple — in the hospital, and I held onto that Mickey Mouse through everything. Just make sure you have something to cling onto and fight. Never give up.”

Jones feels he got a second chance at life and with his renewed sense of taste, he wants to savor every bite of it. Jones opened Tua Pasta on Main Street in Bartow in June. He doesn’t plan on stopping there and said he eventually wants to open other restaurants in the Tampa and Orlando area.