Max and Jen

Co-founders and Chefs

People often ask us what our specialty is - probably hoping we'll say something concise, like 'lasagna.'  In reality, we love cooking food from all over the world.  We were both trained in French culinary schools, but met working in an Italian restaurant in Washington, D.C.  We moved to San Diego, CA for a year, but spent most of our time scarfing tacos in Tijuana.  In this we consider ourselves emblematic of the current restaurant culture in the United States; our food is informed by everything we eat and everywhere we travel.  We love to figure out how to make things the old fashioned way using new techniques and science to bear on that oldest of questions: What's for dinner? 

Max is from Lancaster, PA and studied English at Occidental College before attending Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Institute and starting his career in the kitchen. He has recently returned to his love of writing and hopes you’ll read some of his work on our blog.

Jen is a third-culture kid who grew up in Sudan, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, and New Zealand. She studied Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Virginia and then attended culinary school at L’Academie de Cuisine in the D.C. area.

We formed JM Cottage Foods in 2016. Since then, we’ve added two young children, 1 dog, 25 chickens, and 4 ducks. We’re avid readers, movie watchers, and eaters.