Q & A by Janice Randall Rohlf
Jeni Wheeler is Executive Chef and Program Director of Faith Family Kitchen and Founder/Chief Culinary Artist of Jeni’s Joy (jenisjoy.com, which makes prepared meals, soups and sides using the highest quality ingredients for anyone interested in a healthy lifestyle choice, a quick and easy meal, or any lover of great tasting food!)
How did you get into cooking and what led you to Jeni’s Joy and Faith Family Kitchen?
As a young girl I grew up cooking with my grandmother who worked as a chef when she was young. She fostered my love of cooking and my exposure to creativity as an integral part of cooking. We had large gardens and grew most of our own fruits and vegetables. I developed a passion for good, fresh food. As a national-level swimmer and participant in a highly body-conscious sport, I got to see a different side of what food could do. I also watched as my younger sister, as well as my father, both struggled with significant allergies, food sensitivities and gastrointestinal issues. All of these things combined with my love of food, my passion for health and wellness, my creativity in the kitchen, and my background in business–to make me want to create my brand–Jeni’s Joy. Jeni’s Joy spoke to my desire to create joy for others through my food, and create joy for me through service to others.
In 2017, just as I was opening my own commercial kitchen, I suffered life-altering injuries. My right heel fell through the tub at a hotel I was staying at, causing me to fall backwards, slamming my head into the wall. I suffered a traumatic brain injury, a nerve injury in my right elbow and a hamstring injury to my right leg. As I struggled to recover, I was forced to close my kitchen without ever lighting a burner. It was crushing. I relocated to Cape Cod to seek treatment at Spaulding. I was searching for a kitchen to “play in,” to see what I was able to do, and to help get me through a really tough time in my life, when I was introduced to Faith Family Kitchen (FFK) through the Cape Cod Culinary Incubator and Peter Troutman of Scargo Café.
At FFK, we serve delicious and nutritious meals to people dealing with food security issues and to the homeless of the Hyannis area, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings. Finding Faith Family Kitchen allowed me to give back at a time when I was not sure I had anything to give. Because of the over 150 volunteers I have assisting me every month, and our partnership with the Greater Boston Food Bank, Faith Family Kitchen has helped to give me my life back…and eventually allowed me to relaunch Jeni’s Joy in a different capacity. People often ask me how I can do what I do and I always say the secret ingredient is love. With love, anything is possible.
What advice would you give someone wanting to follow a similar path?
When I was finishing my MBA at Babson in 2005, I would never have guessed this is where I would be, but I am extremely grateful that I get to do what I do. Because of this, I would say to follow your passions. Trust your instincts. And always stay open to possibility.
In your business, what has been your most gratifying moment?
This is an exceptionally difficult question for me to answer. Jeni’s Joy has come to mean so much more than it did when it was conceived in 2015. I have always been a people person, but with the current COVID-19 crisis, I have been able to utilize the relationships I have built over the last two years to help assemble a collaboration of multiple organizations, including the Cape Cod Council of Churches/Faith Family Kitchen, the Cape Cod Culinary Incubator and the American Culinary Federation, to form the Cape Cod Family Table Collaborative, which is tackling the massive issue of food security during these most unusual times. This name comes from our wish to build longer tables and include everyone in the conversation that food should provide both physical and emotional support.
We have growing numbers of people out of work and in need of assistance for the first time in their lives. This collaboration utilizes all of our skill sets to help those in need. We will be utilizing chefs that are out of work and willing to donate their time, while local restaurants that are closed donate their kitchen space, and our relationship with the Greater Boston Food Bank to access unprecedented quantities of fresh ingredients to create nutritious, delicious meals, thereby taking just a touch of stress off our neighbors.
How has the CCCI helped you get your business off the ground, OR how would you have benefitted from a similar organization when you were starting out?
I started Jeni’s Joy at a culinary incubator in Warren, R.I. – Hope and Main. It was critical to refining my business model and working out the details of my recipes made in large quantities. It also allowed me to expose my brand to various markets and get customer feedback. CCCI is an integral part of the conversation about food businesses, education and career opportunities. It is why I’m committed to teaching for the Cape Cod Culinary Incubator and to mentoring future food businesses.
What one thing/service in the food industry do you think the Cape is missing?
Personally, I’d love to see more vegetarian/vegan restaurants and the continued growth of more farm-to-table eateries.
What keeps you busy outside work?
I love being outdoors, and I’m blessed to live in a place that has some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world. I’m also the vice chair of Leadership Cape Cod, which is an amazing organization that brings a mixture of current and future leaders together in their flagship class, Community Leadership Institute (CLI), to take a deep dive into all things Cape Cod. This helps build relationships, solve community problems and become more educated about issues that face the Cape. Leadership Cape Cod also offers nonprofit board trainings. CLI helped me establish friendships, forge business relationships and become engaged in my community.
Describe your perfect day of eating on Cape Cod?
Oh, my goodness…
I’m a huge fan of Buddha bowls, so waking up and making myself a killer Buddha bowl with all the fresh, locally grown vegetables, including my favorite–green tomatoes–that I pick at CapeAbilities farm is the perfect start to any day!
Or as a treat…a breakfast sandwich at Amie and a Rooted juice at the Local Juice.
Then a coffee from Nirvana.
A light lunch of a tuna martini at Scargo Cafe with a cup of their clam chowder. Local raw oysters are always a bonus!
I’m always up for a picnic on the beach or a boat ride, with an array of goodies from Dennis Public Market and a shared bottle of wine.
Jeni’s Joy Chicken Soup and Minestrone are my favorite late afternoon snacks…shocking 🙂
Dinner…there are too many amazing choices to name just one, but ending up at Cleat and Anchor for cocktails is the perfect way to cap off any evening.
We are certainly blessed with the array of AMAZING good options that surround us!