Quench Me: Jennifer Bain

By / Food / September 27th, 2013 / 2

Jennifer Bain is Food Editor and Saucy Lady columnist at the Toronto Star. She also runs the Star’s test kitchen. She has been a fixture on Toronto’s food scene, writing about her adventures in food. She has just recently published her first cookbook, The Toronto Star Cookbook: More That 150 Diverse and Delicious Recipes Celebrating Ontario. She also produced The Best of the Holiday Cookie Calendar and Star Dispatches eRead cookbook. Find her within the pages of the Toronto Star.

 

What led you to a career of writing cookbooks?

I have been the food editor at the Toronto Star since 2000 so it’s a natural progression to have just (finally?) written the Toronto Star Cookbook: More Than 150 Diverse and Delicious Recipes Celebrating Ontario. I’m now on maternity leave and using my “time off” to write an adventure cookbook tentatively titled Buffalo Girl Cooks: Stories & Recipes From My Bison Ranch that’s due out in September 2014.

What do you like best about your job?

As food editor, I get to write about chefs, restaurants, home cooks, food events, food trucks, farmers, supermarkets, bakeries, farmers’ markets, food festivals, news, issues …the list is endless. My office is a test kitchen and I get to test all the recipes that I collect. So I guess I love that every day is different in the food world.

What advice would you give to someone wanting to write a cookbook?

Do it for love, not money, because chances are you will get enough of an advance to cover your expenses (photography, groceries, etc) but not enough to pay for your time.

What accomplishment are you most proud of?

Juggling three kids and a full-time job with a part-time husband (he has a bison ranch in Alberta).

What has been the key to your success?

Very hard work. I’ve never put in the minimum work week. Not even close. When you love your job, you don’t watch the clock.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rosemary Mantini has always loved words. When she isn't working as the Associate Editor at Tidings Magazine, she's helping others achieve their writing dreams, and sometimes she even relaxes with a good book and a glass of wine.

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