Like many chefs, Jenn Segal’s love of food started with a trip to France. During a semester abroad during college, Jenn lived with a French family, which immersed her in a culture that celebrated home cooking: from daily trips to local markets and bakeries to leisurely meals that seemed to stretch for hours. This experience deepened her appreciation for the culinary arts and made her determined to pursue a career in food.
After college, Jenn briefly put those dreams on the back burner and took a desk job — but eventually she couldn’t ignore the draw of the kitchen. She enrolled in culinary school, which she describes as “the most fun she’s ever had.” For Jenn, this was what learning should feel like: diving headfirst into what you're truly passionate about.
But when she transitioned to the restaurant world after culinary school, it was missing that sense of novelty and experimentation. She was making the same dishes every night. Plus, Jenn wanted to start a family, which she knew would be hard to balance with the long hours of restaurant life. So she decided to change direction somewhat — instead of working in restaurants, she’d write a cookbook.
“I went through all the steps of writing a book proposal, then reached out to agents and publishers,” says Jenn. “But I was told in no uncertain terms that there was zero chance of getting published because no one had any idea who I was. Unless you're a celebrity or very established in the culinary world, it would be almost impossible to get a book deal.”
One day, as she was venting to family about this disappointing setback, her sister responded with a simple idea: What if you started a food blog? It would get her name out there, earning her the name recognition she needed to land that book deal.
After researching the online publishing space and realizing there were zero barriers to entry, Jenn bought her domain — and with that, Once Upon a Chef was born.
