Chef of the Week: Jennifer Knapp

Jennifer Knapp is a long-time San Francisco Bay Area chef who completed her formal training at the Tante Marie’s Cooking School in San Francisco in the late nineties. After working in restaurants such as Hawthorne Lane and The Meetinghouse, she started her catering company. She is also a popular personal chef and cooking teacher, teaching both hands-on and demonstration classes throughout the Bay Area.

What is your favorite meal to prepare?

My favorite meal to prepare is anything simple: maybe a great piece of fish or steak on the grill, Greek salad in the summer and fresh corn on the cob. Simple is best!

What do you enjoy most about being a part of the ChefsBest panel?

I enjoy the fact that being on the ChefsBest panel expands my culinary vocabulary and hones my ability to identify and describe what I am experiencing when it comes to food. I appreciate the smart, perceptive chefs who are on the panel, and it’s always interesting to compare what I experience to what others on the panel are experiencing.

What are three of your grocery store staples?

Although it’s hard to pick just three, some of my grocery store staples are all the cheeses, Marie Sharp’s hot sauce, and fresh lemons to correct seasoning.

What is your favorite ingredient in the kitchen and why?

My favorite ingredient is fish sauce. I’m a big fan of Southeast Asian cooking, and I go through buckets of the stuff. Recently, I’ve been buying the Red Boat brand.

 

You can learn more about Jennifer by visiting her website.