Hello and pull up a chair at our table!
I’m Jenn, an Oak Park native that now resides in Ferndale with my husband, Nathan, son, Emmett, and mini dachshund, Penelope. I’m a classically trained chef that graduated with degrees in Culinary Arts and Baking and Pastries. I began my full-time professional career with a corporate food service company in 2012 where I was a contracted pastry chef for the Google headquarters in Ann Arbor. With a completely subsidized food offering, the bar was set high for not only the quality of food, but the extravagance. Birthday cakes on the spot, themed happy hours, cooking demonstrations and made-to-order deskside lunch were just a few of the many experiences I was responsible for contributing to. After a year of pastries, I was promoted to sous chef and shortly after was given the opportunity to take over my own Google kitchen in downtown Birmingham.
Fast forward to 2019, I was ready to further my career and oversee corporate cafe locations of my own. The previous two years had been spent as a brand manager; creating recipes for our dining division as well as marketing to tell the story of our food. I started as a regional operations manager at the end of the year, overseeing 11 managers and cafe locations. Watching managers, clients and guests have their own eye opening culinary experiences, much like I did at the beginning of my career was a very full circle and invigorating moment.
In November 2022, Nathan and I welcomed Emmett into the world. I quickly became overwhelmed with the concept of “doing it all”. Maintaining my drive at work and building up my team while striving to be the perfect mother and wife seemed like such a stretch that would only end in everyone feeling let down. With an incredible amount of support, I learned that “doing it all” could be possible, it just might look different…cue Witch Kitch; the solution to culinary experiences at your dinner table.
While all of my corporate career was influential, my time with Google was where I started to understand the depth and power of food. When someone passes away we bring food for comfort. When two lives join as one we plan an elaborate menu to always remember our special night. Holidays, birthdays, and the list goes on. Allowing each meal to be more than fuel, but an experience, was something I was determined to create, whether it be for my guests, family, or myself.
I created Witch Kitch as a solution to put family first, and delicious meals (at a close) second. Mealtimes are about more than just food, they’re about creating memories and experiences.
