A Knoxville top chef turns skateboarding passion into nonprofit for North Knoxville kids

Skateboarding has always been a part of Hux Jones' life, even down to his name.

"The reason my name is Hux is because I used to leave the skate park to go watch 'The Cosby Show,' and then (when I) came back they would call me Huxtable," Jones said. "I changed my name to Hux in seventh grade. That name comes from skateboarding."

The Balter Beerworks executive chef was born in the Philippines and spent most of his youth in Japan, where his father was stationed in the military. He found a love for skateboarding there, forming a crew and making skate videos.

He found a new passion in cooking when he was 29, eventually leading him to Knoxville in 2016.

Jones wants to give back to the community by turning his passion into a nonprofit.

The Northstar Foundation will give kids in North Knoxville an outlet for self-expression through skating.

The name comes from three things: North Knoxville, the stars on the Tennessee flag and the anime "Fist of the North Star."

"I try to bring diversity everywhere I go," Jones, Northstar's president, said. "Skateboarding is bringing culture together, still feeling as a team but being individual at that point, and then it gets everybody out of trouble."

Skating away your troubles in North Knoxville

Two years in the making, Jones and the foundation are operational. With a website up and running, the next step is to create a skate park and community center to serve Knoxville kids.

Jones is aiming to open Brigade skate park next year at 129 W. Burwell Ave. It's a vacant lot with a couple building structures owned by Central Burwell LLC, according to KGIS. Jones said he's working on funding and plans to lease the property.

The park would have a community center and indoor and outdoor skate areas. He wants it to be a place for kids to come after school and build community, work on skills or just blow off steam with skating.

The mission statement comes in the form of the acronym D.A.P.S.:

• Diversity - kids coming together from all backgrounds

• Alternative - kids learning different trades, crafts or arts

• Passion - kids being passionate about what they want to do

• Skill - kids putting their energy into skills they want to improve

Jones sees the park as a way to provide kids in North Knoxville with resources they might not otherwise have. The board members and people involved with the foundation include North Knoxville business owners.

• Trevor Guydon - owner of Oakwood BBQ

• David Blevins - owner of Pizzeria Nora

• Eli Johnson - photographer opening a skate shop

• Andrew Emanuel - co-owner of Landscape Innovation

• Paige Smith - Balter Beerworks employee and Northstar Foundation secretary

He hopes the park increases foot traffic in the area as well as makes North Knoxville safer for kids and families.

Future projects for the Northstar Foundation

After the skate park is complete, Jones wants to implement cooking classes, skating classes and a summer camp. He also said he's talked with Central Cinema about doing outdoor movie nights in the park, and he would like to work with the OLPN garden at 131 E. Burwell Ave. for activities.

The nonprofit's website is northknoxbrigade.com. There's a donation page on the website to contribute towards the nonprofit's goals.

Keenan Thomas is a higher education reporter. Email keenan.thomas@knoxnews.com. Twitter @specialk2real.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Knoxville chef Hux Jones starts skateboarding nonprofit