This episode we chat with Jenn de la Vega, a New York-based cookbook author, editor, food stylist and caterer. We talk about cooking, eating, writing, why we especially love these 3 things, seeing our story in others and why nothing beats a classic Filipino "silog" with fried rice and a runny egg.

Jenn has written for TASTE Cooking, worked as a creator-in-residence at Kickstarter, and won a scholarship with the International Association of Culinary Professionals.Time to step into her kitchen!

Show notes

04:25 About 05:35 From competitions to a cookbook06:55 The thrill of it all08:40 "Showdown" was born10:15 Filipino notes and a nod to the past11:10 Bake that lumpia chip!11:55 "I'm not just cooking for me"12:15 A spectrum of taste13:25 Embracing new culinary ecosystems14:25 Longganisa and champorado 15:20 Contextualizing the food we grow up with16:00 "I'm influenced by a lot of things"17:35 My story and your story matters20:40 8 years of throwdowns 21:05 Winning a bacon challenge23:55 Childhoods at Costco and seeing yourself in others24:45 Put A Egg On It 26:15 Zine themes26:30 On shame and mung beans 27:10 Dinner conversations28:25 The allure of an egg yolk30:25 Foodways of Iloilo32:10 Everyone loves adobo and chicken wings

Links for this episode

* Learn more about Jenn on her website, Randwiches, where you’ll find links to her portfolio and blog. Don’t miss her epic food styling recipe series :)* Order the tenth anniversary issue of Put A Egg On It. I promise you won’t regret it. With 160 pages of “PICKLED!” stories and recipes, how could you?

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