We had the good fortune of connecting with Jennie Casselman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jennie, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?

My deepest aspiration is to educate and empower parents and kids to take control of their overall health, starting in the kitchen. For my family, our health and overall well-being is a top priority,” she said. Instilling in the next generation the significance of nutrition and how to care for their bodies is a value I hold dear, one that I aim to pass on to my own children and other families. My expertise centers around prioritizing women’s health and crafting allergy-friendly recipes, kid approved recipes without all the additives we find in manufactured foods.
My children often join me in the kitchen, and I intend to include them in my future business plans as they have been my biggest inspirations. I believe it’s important to involve them in food decision making and creating early on. This not only teaches them the importance of nutrition and what truly constitutes healthy choices. My twins have been cooking with me since they could stand and I can see how it has had a positive impact on their food choices and desire to eat for their health and well being.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Being a wellness chef allows me to focus on my passion which is nutrition. When given the opportunity to become an RD or a Chef, I chose to go the culinary route because I wanted to show others how to eat healthy instead of just telling them.

Teaching online classes for an international fitness brand really has opened my eyes in learning how many people simply do not have the knowledge to make better choices in the kitchen. I not only write recipes designed for weight-loss and management but also how to meal prep to save time and keeping budget friendly options in mind for families. Getting to where I am today and growing has not been easy.

The food industry is a male dominated industry. It requires hard physical work, long hours and heavy lifting. I’m pretty tough but it has always been a challenge working in commercial kitchens. I carved out a niche of teaching and sharing online to still reach as many people as possible in a fun and entertaining manner.

I’ve learned so much about myself while creating my brand. My brand is my life and not in an all consuming way, in a way that it simply represents everything we live by. If I share a recipe, we love it. If I share a business or product I use it. If I provide education it is based on fact not opinions.

My wellness journey began in my late twenties when I was diagnosed with melanoma and forced to re-evaluate how I was treating my body and that included nutrition. I was eating out all the time, working a demanding corporate job, drinking too much and not sleeping enough. My personal journey started then which led me to culinary school. Years later we were blessed with twins and my sons food allergies ignited my passion to get out from behind the corporate computer and start helping others.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.

When my friends arrive in Charlotte I would first take them around to my favorite spots in the Queen City. First stop would be my old neighborhood in Wesley Heights to visit the Rhino Market & Deli to listen to live music, grab a local craft beer and a hot roast beef sandwhich – Boar’s Head Deluxe Roast Beef, Sharp Wisconsin Cheddar, caramelized onions, banana peppers, poppy horseradish mayo on ciabatta which i may or may not have eaten too many times during my twin pregnancy!

Dinner options are endless in the Queen City but I would take them on a ride north up to Lake Norman. The North Harbor Club is a beautiful lake front restaurant with the best view for sunset. I love the Triple X martini, extra dirty with blue cheese stuffed olives an you cant go wrong with a Maple in Manhattan- Templeton Rye, Maple, Sweet Vermouth, Bacon Slice – yes i said bacon. For dinner, you have to go both land and sea with the Grilled Beef Rib-eye with a Crab Cake Grilled Zucchini & Creamed Corn. Take dessert out on the boat or a night cap as the sun sets over the lake.

A few miles north is the town of Davidson where Kindred is a locally owned restaurant with a phenomenal menu. You will have dreams about the milkbread! The waygu beef tartare is a must to start out with followed by the southern smoked brisket!

Next we would head west to the NC mountains which is only a few hours away from Charlotte. We love to visit Blowing Rock and all their great restaurants like Twigs and The Gatekeeper. If it was warm we would go for a hike at one of the nearby trails that cover western NC.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My precious family who are my ultimate sous chefs and taste testers and my why to keep up my research and development around healthy allergy friendly, kid approved meals! My husband who helps wrangle the circus we have created, who supports all my wild ideas. My parents who have supported my goals and dreams since I was a young child. They are still my biggest cheerleaders and support all of my endeavors. and of course my siblings that are also the best friends that anyone could ask for.

Website: www.chefjenniecasselman.com

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Image Credits
Shane Amoroson Corrie Huggins Creative

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