“I don’t like gourmet cooking or this cooking or that cooking. I like good cooking.”
Jess’s Cooking Philosophy
We all have to eat...but cooking doesn't have to be scary!
Cooking is a form of self-care, adulting, an act of showing love in the form of something to eat.
Cooking doesn't have to be intimidating. Those food bloggers you see with picture-perfect social feeds spend ALL DAY trying to get the right lighting. They might shoot a dinner in the morning - they're not enjoying a freshly home-cooked meal!
Delicious doesn't have to be perfect. (Also, mistakes happen. Things burn, dry out, get mushy, you run out of an ingredient. It's usually more fixable than you think.)
Cooking is a way to practice mindfulness. Learning to be present and observe the smells, sights, and sounds of your work can be soothing.
Cooking can be creative. Recipes rarely are written in stone, and we can learn from our experiments (both the good and bad results!).
Cooking for yourself is cheaper, healthier, and less wasteful than eating at restaurants or even doing those subscription boxes. You control the oils, sugars, salt, etc. and choose what to buy, knowing what you will use up and what packaging isn't needed.
What OliveJess isn’t…
OliveJess is not a meal subscription service. You won’t receive a box at the door full of supplies and a recipe card, with the expectation that you’ll know exactly what to do from there.
OliveJess is not a personal chef! If I did all the work for you, how would you learn to cook with confidence? I’ll be right by your side (virtually), so you build your own skills.
(P.S. if you were the type that asked the teacher for homework as a kid, just let me know. I’m more than happy to give you extra drills for practicing.)
OliveJess won’t teach you how to cook in just one session. These are skills that build over time, with lots of practice. But before you can practice, it helps to feel comfortable with the basic skills.
OliveJess students love learning to love cooking!
Jillian P. conquered her fear of new ingredients and prepared the bag of quinoa sitting in her pantry to make a delicious salad for lunchtime meal prep
Maggie L. stopped paying for fancy pre-prepped meal delivery and gained the ability to create her own menus, and rocked a sheet-pan meal her way
Nikita C. felt empowered after tasting, adjusting seasonings, and expanding her cooking vocabulary, and surprised herself by trying and liking something new
Nate M. sharpened his skill set by practicing new preparation techniques, and expanded his culinary knowledge so he and his fiancée can enjoy more time cooking together
