She then went on to study French cuisine in the Burgundy countryside of France at LaVarenne d Ecole Cuisine. She furthered her study of both classical and contemporary culinary and pastry studies during this time in French Immersion Cooking. After her studies in France, she moved to San Diego, Californiain 1997. Starting her journey as a Sous Chef for Waters Catering, she expanded her love of all
scratch cooking and learned the art of catering to the rich and famous. After leaving Waters in December 1999 to start her own personal chef business, Chef Jessica was named San Diego's Best Personal Chef by San Diego Magazine in 2002. For over 18 years in San Diego, Chef Jessica cooked for a variety of clients with various health and dietary issues to manage. Her expertise is in food allergies, dietary restrictions, menu planning, and healthy eating. During this span of almost two decades, she was able to assist people from many different walks of life turn around their health and overcoming their nutritional challenges. Her clients ranged from families with young children with epilepsy to adults with various health issues, to professional athletes, to single bachelors. In 2015, She worked with San Diego Cancer Institute as a volunteer for survivors teaching them the skills to transition to a new way of living. In 2016, Chef Jessica created a cookbook of over 150 recipes and 24 customized menu plans for Nutripy Nutrition. She has been brought on as a consultant for restaurants and caterers to help revitalize their menus and bring in new customers who are looking for options that are delicious, balanced, and nourishing. In 2016, Chef Jessica created programs on how to be your own personal chef, all while still working with her own clients. After almost 17 years of running her own business, Chef Jessica realized she wanted to share what she had learned with others. Not just with clients on how to do it themselves, some people will need support at various times. She realized, she needed to share her knowledge about starting a personal chef business. The demand for personal chefs increases each year and as she saw other chefs in the industry struggling, she wanted to help them create their own businesses and thrive. In 2018, Chef Jessica began creating the online course, The Prosperous Personal Chef. While creating her online course, after growing her business for over 18 years, Jessica was offered and accepted a full-time corporate position in health care as the executive chef at a small hospital in Laguna Hills. She felt it was a good segue into the corporate world of culinary. Little did she know we were on the verge of a pandemic. After almost two years of learning the corporate side of the cooking world, Covid 19 hit. Chef Jessica saw how deeply shattered her brothers and sisters were in the restaurant and hotel industry had been. Every day, another restaurant closed, another cook lost his job, and some were even taking their own lives out of desperation. While there is no perfect answer, Chef Jessica knew that being a personal chef is the perfect pivot for many cooks, chefs, and talented home cooks. The Prosperous Personal Chef had been put on hold, but Jessica felt a strong sense of urgency to finish what she had begun two years earlier. At the same time, she knew she had to return to her passion as a personal chef helping people change the trajectory of their health challenges and find a new passion for wellness. She left the corporate world in 2021 and went back to working one on one with clients and completing her courses and offerings. After completing the online course, Chef Jessica went on to create more products and offerings for personal chefs. Visit her at www.chefjessica.com to see her online shop and find out more information.
