Jennifer has run a wine shop and catered for parties for many years. She spent 11 years in Germany, which allowed her to develop a large repertoire of German specialties and understand their cooking culture.

Experience:

Jennifer used the time in Germany to study for a Masters degree in science and take cooking classes. She cooked for friends and family whenever possible. She was very interested in "Vollwertkost", or healthy foods, and regional specialties, learning how to make Apple Strudel, dumplings, and many other traditional foods. Her mother-in-law, an old-school German lady, was instrumental in understanding many of the traditions surrounding the table.

Jennifer considers working in a laboratory good practice for developing and writing recipes. Both types of work demand a keen eye for detail and reproducibility.

From Jennifer McGavin:

My life in Germany led me towards a heightened awareness of cultural differences, in both foods and traditions. Even their nouvelle-cuisine makes use of traditional German ingredients, such as parsley root, salsify or nettles. In Germany, family culture is very tight, and food is a large part of the culture. I enjoyed my time there very much because of it. I love to cook German food in the US because it reminds me of my time in Europe, and I am very honored to be able to share it with you.