Welcome to my kitchen!
Hi, I’m Jazzmyne, aka The Gourmet Mommie! This is where you’re going to learn, laugh, and grow in the kitchen. I’m an engineer, a mom of two teenagers, and someone who genuinely loves cooking for my family, friends, and anyone who enjoys good food. For years, people have asked me for my recipes. While I could always tell them what was in it, I struggled with telling them how much. I realized the best way to help people cook more was to actually teach them how to cook the way I did. So I started reverse engineering the recipes I’ve been making for years and turning them into something people can actually follow and repeat, recreating those old-school recipes that were cooked by feel and instinct into methods and measurements that can be applied in your own kitchens.
My food is a mix of Southern roots and Northern influence with just a touch of gourmet—simple, elevated, and made for real life.
I'm a one-woman show, lol. I create all my own recipes and shoot all the photos, so you know that a real person cooked it. And yes, it can look this good. I do employ a few taste testers now and again, so if you are anywhere near Prosper, TX, I love cooking for new people ;-)
My Story
I started cooking when I was 11. The first meal I ever made was a Mexican casserole I found in one of my mom's cookbooks in an effort to help out while she was pregnant with my younger sister. Fast forward to high school and an unexpected move from Evanston, IL (North Chicago suburb) to Roseland, LA (south Louisiana, near New Orleans), and my real lesson in cooking began in my Dear's kitchen. Combining the simplicity of my mom's method of cooking with the complexity of Dear’s flavors, I began to develop my own identity through my food. I have been sharing my food with friends and family dating all the way back to my college years, when I used to make peach cobbler and pasta for the girls in my dorm.
Over time, like everyone else, I’ve evolved my cooking style to match my station of life. And now my cooking is how I take care of people and how I teach my kids the legacy and heritage of our family—so much so that a friend dubbed me the Gourmet Mommie because my kitchen is always open, with plenty of good food to share.
The Legacy
I come from a legacy of cooking on both sides of my family—recipes that have been passed down from one generation to the next, that I myself am now teaching my kids. My mom and my grandmothers are my greatest influence and inspiration for how I cook. And even though one side brings Northern flavor and the other the richness and complexity of the South, there’s one thing that is shared—cooking with love.
Cooking doesn’t have to be complicated. We cook using an ingredient-focused method—i.e., work with what you have, don’t overthink it. I can make chicken a hundred ways, and don’t get me started on all the variations of pasta I make. All because I, like the generations of women before me, have learned that even the simplest ingredients can be made gourmet.
Growing up, my mom cooked every day, and we ate together as a family every day. Like her, I believe that food has the power to connect us in ways that social media, phones, and other modern distractions cannot.
My family shows love through food; it’s how we communicate all of our emotions. If you’re sick, I’m bringing you food. If you had a good celebration, I’m bringing you food. If I need to show appreciation, I’m bringing you food.
Food is our love language—and anyone we care about gets to reap the benefit of our message.
How Did We Get Here?
Over time, I have taken our family legacy of cooking and merged it with the pragmatism I have learned as an engineer, allowing my recipes to be used by anyone at any age, for any family, and in any kitchen—I call it practical gourmet. It’s elevated food without the extra work—simple recipes that still feel special without being in the kitchen all day. I don’t just give you recipes; I explain what you’re doing and why so you can make it your own. When you visit my page, you are my internet cousins, and my goal is to help you create your own cooking legacy that will transcend generations, just like it has in mine.
After years of friends and family asking me my secrets, I wanted to help people understand how my family cooks and that cooking doesn’t have to be hard as long as you keep it simple and learn a few basics. The result? Two years ago, I started working on my cookbook, A Touch of Jazz. But cookbooks take time and a whole lot of work. (Remember, I'm a one-woman show!) So I created my website and social media to continue sharing my recipes while I worked on getting published.
My cookbook has been a huge passion project. I wrote every recipe, tested them all, took all the photos, and am going a hybrid self-publishing route, fully funded by me.
It’s more than just a book for me. I believe that my recipes, the way my family cooks, and how we all learned to cook is something everybody should have access to.
My philosophy: if you can read, you can cook. No excuses.
Get to Know Me...
THIS OR THAT?
If you can Read, you can Cook!
Everything here is meant to help you feel confident in your kitchen.
Cooking is more than just making food, it’s an experience, a journey that shows anyone can create something extraordinary. With a touch of gourmet flair and a heaping of love, it’s like serving an elegantly plated piece of your heart to everyone you serve.