The Culinary Works

A native of Northern California and eternally 25 years old, Chef Jennifer Parker is very rooted in the cuisine and wine regions of the area.

Growing up in her family meant not only did you need to be able to take a joke, you had to appreciate great food. Jens grandmother, a great cook and baker, hosted frequent family meals. “I remember many Sundays at my grandparents house swimming and having a great time. We would always enjoy a big meal together complete with homemade bread.” Jens mother was also a big culinary influence, “I wouldn’t say mom is the worlds greatest cook, sorry mom, but she was never afraid to invent something. She would create new dishes and give them funny names so my brother and I would try them, I think it gave me license to get in the kitchen and create.  I have never been afraid to experiment or try new ideas.”

Jen toiled away in corporate America for many years, always secretly wishing she could be a chef. In the communications industry, she managed multi million dollar accounts until one day, she was part of a mass lay-off. THIS was her chance and she took it! She soon graduated from culinary school with honors.

Jen began catering and personal chefing, something that grew into a full time business. She also slugged it out on the hot lines of many of Sacramento’s finest restaurants. “I worked my way up the ranks in restaurants for two reasons, first, to build my skills and learn all the tricks to making great food, fast! Second, I wanted to prove to myself I could do it, that as a thirty-something, I could keep up with the twenty-something’s, and I did.”

Not only did Jen conquer the hot line, she also got the chance to work under several of the areas finest pastry chefs, something that completely changed her focus. “I always loved pastry work but hadn’t really considered it until the door just opened for me. I worked in a production pastry environment and a restaurant and discovered I truly love making plated restaurant desserts”.

Fast forward many years, with high end event catering and wholesale desserts as her focus, she earned the opportunity to teach at one of our local culinary schools.  As a Chef instructor at the Le Cordon Bleu in Sacramento, teaching is something near and dear to her heart. “I love teaching, to be surrounded by idealistic and passionate culinary people is such BLAST”.

With her versatile history in the industry and her love for all things culinary, Chef Jen is here at The Culinary Works to share her knowledge and industry connections with all of us. Also, as the only person willing and able to wrangle the geeks running around this place, she is a perfect fit!

You can reach Jen at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Mail To:  P.O. Box 6597, Folsom, CA 95673