District 214 Community Education

Jen is a mom of 2 wonderful girls and she loves to teach cooking classes. She has been a Community Education Instructor since 2017 and has worked in the food industry for 15 years. Jen is also a former Specialty Bakeshop owner. She helps make everyday cooking simple, flavorful, and with no artificial ingredients and loves to use fresh herbs and spices to naturally enhance the flavor of food. Aside from cooking savory foods, Jen is also passionate about baking and decorating cakes. When she’s not cooking or baking, she takes yoga classes to relax and create videos and design websites. Jen was born and raised in the Philippines and was 19 years old when she came to the US.

Jen went to college for Hotel and Restaurant Management. In addition, she studied at the Institute for Integrated Nutrition and acquired a certification for Health and Wellness Coaching. Her studies also led her to the Wellness Cooking Academy where she also became a Certified Wellness Cooking Instructor. Jen acquired certifications from Forks Over Knives for Plant-based Cooking and Colette Peters class for Fondant Cake Decorating and has also completed Chef Gordon Ramsay, two Master Classes, Alice Waters Master Class (the art of home-cooking) and Dominique Ansel's Masterclass (he's a James Beard Award-winning Pastry Chef). Her certifications also include the ServSafe Illinois Food Protection Manager Certification.

In her classes, Jen wants share the 5 Benefits of Taking Cooking Classes:

1. Learn the exact kitchen tools and equipment to use for each step of food preparation.
2. Even if you already know how to work around your kitchen, there's always room for improvement. Taking cooking classes will help hone in the skills you already have.
3. Learning different types of cuisine.
4. Taking cooking classes could be the start of your culinary career. If you're passionate about cooking, open the door by attending cooking classes. They can add excitement to your culinary vision you've only dreamed about.
5. You will learn so much about the quality of food, and great preparation techniques while having fun.