About Kitschenista
Hi, my name is Jess aka Kitschenista and I’ve had a passion for cooking (and eating) all my life! From an early age I was encouraged to experiment in the kitchen and when I was 13, I had a cooking segment on local TV. By the time I was in high school I was teaching cooking classes.
I took a hiatus from the kitchen between college and my mid-20’s, not touching the oven for YEARS! But this time was by no means a waste. I studied business in undergrad at Boston University and after graduating, pursued a career in the corporate beauty industry. Living and working in NYC, my palate continued to grow as I became exposed to more restaurants, cuisines, and dishes. In the years I lived in the city, I am pretty sure the only dinners I cooked at home were the occasional omelet or mac n cheese.
Fast forward, and I moved to Los Angeles. I was in a new city, new routine, and navigating this new phase of life. I intuitively fell back into the kitchen and began documenting much of my cooking and baking escapades on social media. In addition to my self-taught culinary skills, I have taken courses at the ICA in New York and Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. My mom is a holistic nutritionist so over the course of my entire life, I have come to really absorb and value a wealth of knowledge related to food and gut health, sourcing and supporting local and organic, and above all, living and eating a balanced life FOREVER AND EVER!
In 2020, Kitschenista was born as a way to bring my passion to life — I turn *kitsch* ingredients into food meal dreams. I help educate and elevate the everyday and provide delicious food inspiration to everyone. You will find that the recipes featured here are a mix of my own innovation as well as some personal favorites developed by other chefs that I admire ~ recipes are sometimes healthy, sometimes not, but always 💯.
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P.S. Wondering where the word KITSCH in Kitschenista comes from? Kitsch is a Yiddish word to describe something in poor taste due to excessive garishness or sentimentality, but sometimes appreciated in an ironic way. For me, that very much translates to my kitchen persona. I’ll take something ‘kitsch’ like a can of tuna and elevate it to something you didn’t even think possible!