( ENSPIRE Feature ) Chef Jojo Seasons Up the Holidays with a Healthy Seasoning Brand
ENSPIRE Contributor: LaShonda Thompson
When it comes to cooking, there’s no denying that preparing meals together and sharing them is the most effective way to bring families closer together—especially during the holidays. However, due to hectic schedules and time constraints, not everyone has the time to prepare meals. Chef Jojo, a well-known figure in the culinary world, has devised a solution to simplify the cooking process and prepare super quick and delectable meals in the kitchen. After 25 years of catering to thousands of people, including many celebrities, Chef Jojo, the daughter of a well-known St. Louis soul food eatery, is pleased to offer two seasoning lines to the pandemic: “Jojo’s Seasoning” and “Hannah. J,” the first children’s seasoning brand.
“While I have catered for numerous celebrities and athletes, including Rickey Smiley, Tyler Perry, Wiz Khalifa, T.I., 50 Cent, Ice Cube, LL Cool J, and many more, I owe my success to the years I spent in the kitchen with my grandmother,” Chef Jojo said.
Chef Jojo’s commitment to encouraging people, particularly youngsters, in choosing healthy foods is inspiring. All of Jojo’s Seasoning’s and Hannah. J’s goods are made with the highest care and attention to detail, utilizing only the most authentic and fresh ingredients to provide home-like experiences. The chef is proud of the high-quality goods that make cooking easier by integrating multiple seasonings in a single bottle or bag. Chef Jojo’s personal life experience inspired the concepts for both businesses. The senior chef strives to promote the same love and heritage for every family via the art of cooking, having come from a strong lineage of entrepreneurs and having a strong desire to encourage family bonding by cooking together.
ENSPIRE had the opportunity to ask Chef Jojo a few questions.
What’s your first memory of your love for cooking?
My dad was the famous St. Louis soul food restaurateur JT Brown. I come from a family of great cooks, so I have many fond memories of being in various kitchens with him and other loved ones, especially my grandmother.
As a mom of six, how do you spice up food in the kitchen?
As with every situation, I think of those who will eat my food. However, with my children, it was kind of circular. Cooking for them for their entire lives helped me shape my approach to how I season to ensure that they eat, and I brought that thinking to creating the seasonings. So now, I’m seasoning the food I cook for them with the seasoning they helped inspire.
Describe your cooking style in three words.
Heartfelt, intuitive, and inventive.
Read the rest of Chef Jojo’s interview in our Entertainment and Gift Guide Issue! Get your print or digital copy here.
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