Meet Jenn de la Vega, a community-oriented caterer, producer, author, cookbook collaborator, recipe developer, food stylist, and veteran community manager and trends expert based in Brooklyn, NY. She loves talking about food experiences, new technology, and teaching people how to cook.
She authored and styled her debut cookbook Showdown: Comfort Food, Chili & BBQ (Page Street/MacMillan). Jenn has built a unique culinary practice mashing up experiential with visual art and food through residencies at TASTE Cooking (Penguin-Random House), BabycastlesGallery, and Kickstarter. Her kaleidoscopic recipes appear on Food52, Thrillist, Yummly, and Wine Enthusiast. Currently, she is co-writing Twaydabae’s debut cookbook and testing an upcoming cookbook for Justine Doiron with Clarkson Potter.
On her menus, you’ll find a mash-up of her Filipinx heritage, Spanish tapas, artisanal cheese, and 90’s inspired fast-food cuisine. She is known for her Randwiches or “random sandwiches” in Brooklyn, where clients are given no choice in what they order.
As a seasoned cook-off contestant, she is a judge of The James Beard Awards, The Takedowns, Specialty Food Association SoFi Awards, and New York Hot Sauce Expo’s Screaming Mimi Awards. She has also appeared on Guy Fieri’s Grocery Games on Food Network and Roker Media’s ChefShock with Justin Warner on Twitch.
What’s your background and career path that led you to the culinary world?
I grew up in California bouncing from the Bay Area to the Mojave Desert and attended UC Davis. I initially started a career as a college radio dj and promoter. I moved to New York City to be closer to the record labels and music venues, but discovered my love of food while entertaining clients at restaurants and brunch guests in my home. My specialty was grilled cheese and I eventually left the music industry to intern at Murray’s Cheese Shop and became a catering chef later on.
Tell us about your cookbooks… the inspiration and the cuisine you share.
After competing in local cooking competitions for 8 years, I wrote my first cookbook, Showdown. Since then, I’ve been a co-author, developer, and recipe tester for a wide swath of cuisines. My main motivation is to tackle ingredients and flavors that I’ve never had before. I’ve worked on pop culture tv show cookbooks like The Last OG and One Piece while learning about Juneteenth through Nicole Taylor’s Watermelon and Red Birds. Last year, I worked on Filipinx with chef Angela Dimayuga and New York Times Magazine writer Ligaya Mishan. My latest project, ISLAS by Von Diaz, came out on March 12th, 2024. It’s a collection of lesser-known recipes from island cultures.
What cuisine do you highlight in your catering business? Who are your customers?
I create narrative, personal menu collaborations with my clients, meaning that I don’t have a catalog of items to choose from. The people and companies I work with are on the creative side: filmmakers, designers, musicians, and artists. I think we’re naturally drawn to each other because I speak their language. I have a fashion client who hosts an annual themed holiday party and we created 12 dishes to symbolize astrological signs. I’ve had a Japanese-Jewish-Hawaiian wedding menu with spam musubi and dashi-smoked brisket sandwiches. I also love it when clients tell me to do large grazing tables of foods that I like, which ends up being cheese, charcuterie, and dippy mezze.
What’s in your pantry?
My pantry shifts cuisines between my book projects and what I’m thinking about for the hot dog menu at Wonderville. Right now it’s very Vietnamese with fish sauce, varying shades of soy sauces, and rock sugar. I also have a bunch of Indian condiments like tamarind chutney, cilantro chutney, bhel snack mix, and garam masala to make curry ketchup. There always tends to be olive oil, vinegars for pickling, and a compendium of whole spices.
What’s your favorite equipment, prepping tool(s) you couldn’t live without it?
My poor Cuisinart food processor is on its last legs. I can blend up a quart of garlic, grate cheese, and slice onions quickly. I couldn’t keep up with the amount of food I make without it.
What do you consider your signature dish(es)?
I like to make sliders at my pop ups, like melty cream burgers, and adobo pulled pork. I also write a lot about artisanal cheese, charcuterie, and hot dogs. Our house hot dogs at Wonderville are The Devil May Curry, garam masala ketchup with pickled red onions; and The Shallot of the Colossus, Kewpie mayo with fried shallots, and scallions.
You are a Trendspotter for the Specialty Food Association, what are the latest trends you’ve spotted?
During COVID, I lost all of my large upcoming events as a caterer. I had to think about what I could do with the inventory I had and how to pivot to smaller events in a new industry. I was luckily able to workshop and create another line of business catering film sets until I could do larger events again. When considering a new product or service, plan for an unexpected pivot. It’s no longer ‘plan b’ but eventuality. I’ve seen companies pivot from restaurant service to mail order, online lessons, and mutual aid headquarters to create community fridges, pantries, and spaces to organize charity drives.
Cancellations happen more often due to the unstable job market, which can have an effect on clientele budgets. Post-COVID, events are either scaled down to more intimate settings or much larger than before to “make up” for the waiting time to celebrate during lockdown.
Alcohol consumption has dropped significantly for my events. With the rise of remote workers who were unable to go to bars during COVID, many people considered their relationship with alcohol by stopping completely or consuming in lower quantities. If they do drink, they choose premium ingredients and consider the health and budget cost. Event clients typically wanted beer, wine, and cocktails with few non-alcoholic beverages.
The proportion has flipped post-COVID where up to 1/3 of the beverage budgets have become non-alcoholic or low ABV. I’ve noticed an increased interest in natural wines and high-end non-alcoholic spirits over beer, which can feel filling. The nonalcoholic beverage variety has exploded beyond Coke, Diet Coke, and Gingerale. Clients are reaching for kombucha, tepache, seltzers, mushroom tea, and more. They’re seeking enjoyment that will last through the night without health consequences the next morning.
While I already customize my menus for clients, the trend of fancy condiments have permeated to special events. Weddings want more meaningful menu items than just a signature cocktail for each celebrant. Compound butters, unique jam, never-seen cheese, whole jamon legs, and the couple’s own flavor of barbeque sauce have been examples of elevated convenience and upscaling every day. There is also a more hands-on approach to recipes.
During isolation, sharing recipes via social media became part of the marketing process and chefs were giving away restaurant secrets more than ever. Previously, restaurant recipes have been held close to the chest. But now, it is part of marketing strategy and encouraging folks to remix and riff at home if they can’t come to a restaurant or enjoy a service.
