WOMEN’s HISTORY MONTH 2022
CELEBRATING WOMEN: CHEF’S DINNER
JENNIFER LE BLANC
Tavern in the Village
Jennifer Le Blanc comes from a long line of women who have spent their careers in the kitchen. Her grandmother cooked professionally while raising six children. Le Blanc’s mother and twin sister also spent their careers in the culinary world.
Le Blanc thought she wanted to go to school for psychology, but ultimately she felt that cooking was in her blood. At the age of 18, she took a job as a dishwasher and realized she was fascinated by the professional kitchen. All it took was one Chef investing time in teaching her to roast garlic and teaching her the fundamentals and she was hooked. She wanted to learn everything anyone would teach her from every station and from every Chef’s book she could find. By age 22, Le Blanc was encouraged to reconsider her career path by her superiors, and she enrolled in culinary school at the Art Institute of San Bernardino, California.
For the past decade she has been in Kansas City, eight of those years at Tavern in the Village, working with local farmers, purveyors, and cheese companies to bring the best, seasonally-inspired dishes to guests. The Tavern strives to be a respected neighborhood gem delivering classics like hand-cut filets and house-blended Angus burgers, and even striving to make the best crispy chicken sandwiches for those on a search. Hers is served with hot chili honey, house-made spicy garlic pickles, and garden herb mayo! Le Blanc’s goal is to have something for everyone to enjoy.
She’s been acutely aware that succeeding as a woman chef in the industry would require considerable effort, but feels fortunate to work with an owner, co-managers, and a kitchen staff that stands behind her and supports her, where together they can work to be their best.
FAVORITE QUOTE:
"Let the beauty of what you love, be what you do" - Rumi
CAUSE SHE BELIEVES IN:
No Kid Hungry - KC is a team of culinary professionals and caring community members committed to ending child hunger in the U.S. Fundraising bake sales and culinary events will help connect low income kids to more school & summer meals. KC local bake sale is held at 6336 Brookside Plaza, Kansas City, MO. Every $1 raised is 10 meals for children with food insecurity. For more information, please visit http://kcteam4nokidhungry.com.