West Cancer Foundation
Board of Directors
Jennifer Chandler
Food & Dining Reporting, The Commercial Appeal
When asked why she got into the food business, Jennifer Chandler always quickly responds “because I love to eat!”
Jennifer’s love of good food has led her down an interesting …and tasty…road the past 15 years.
In 1993, Jennifer surprised everyone when she told them that she was giving up a career in International Finance to move to Paris to learn to cook. Jennifer enrolled at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, took a crash course in French and, a year later, graduated at the top of her class with Le Grand Diplome and a Mention Tres Bien in Pastry.
After a life changing year in Paris, she cut her teeth in the food biz with a stint at a Washington, D.C. restaurant group as well as working in the pastry shop at one of the East Coast’s top caterers.
After moving back home to Memphis, Tennessee, Jennifer briefly considered getting a 9 to 5 career but soon found herself dreaming of the kitchen.
For several years, Jennifer owned a prepared foods market and bakery market in Memphis called Cheffie’s Market and More. Voted best new restaurant in Memphis, Cheffie’s received much acclaim and many awards.
With the birth of her second child though, she decided to turn her food career into a more family-friendly one and…because she couldn’t leave the biz altogether… started food writing.
A contributing writer to several magazines such as Prevention Magazine, All You, MidSouth Magazine, Nashville Home & Garden, Memphis Magazine, Edible Memphis, Real Food, Pilates Style, and Delta Magazine, Jennifer is the Food & Dining Reporter for The Commercial Appeal (Memphis’ newspaper) and is the host for The Weekly Dish on WKNO-FM.
Jennifer has appeared on numerous broadcast cooking segments including Food Network’s “Dinner Impossible”, Better TV (Meredith Corp., syndicated in 84 markets in the U.S.) and has also been a guest on Martha Stewart Radio on Sirius/XM.
For two years, she also served as national spokesperson for French’s. In this role, she made appearances across the country on TV, satellite media tours, radio, and at special events sharing recipes that highlighted how pantry staples like mustards and French fried onions can easily add lots of flavor to a dish.
In 2011, she jumped back into the restaurant business as a consultant and designed the concept, menu, and recipes for Cheffie’s Café, which was nominated as best new restaurant in both the Memphis Magazine and Memphis Flyer’s annual reader polls.
Jennifer’s motto is: Good Food Simply. Dinnertime can be stress-free and an enjoyable experience for all, even the home chef!