Born and raised in Tuscaloosa, AL, Jacqueline learned to cook by “working in the kitchen with my grandmother, my mom, and my aunts,” she said. “We love to eat, and we love good food, and if it’s not right, you’re going to hear about it.”
Chef Jackee credits her mentor and former manager, Jason Hall, for helping her navigate the career ropes at Bon Appétit. “Through the eight years, he’s mentored and encouraged me,” she says, from her start as an hourly cook to her current position as executive chef at the historic women’s HBCU Spelman College in Atlanta, GA.
While she loves to roll out her Southern comfort food for the Spelman students, she’s been pushing herself to master other cuisines, as well. “My grandmother always told me that people eat with their eyes first,” she says, “so I try and make it look good and taste good.”
Jackee was “beyond ecstatic” to be nominated and attend the Women in Culinary event in Miami this spring, where she was able to meet fellow women culinarians and discuss their experiences in the industry. “For me, the biggest takeaway was this: Own who you are and be you. Put your footprint on something and stand by it.”
