About Us

The Jazz

The year was 2008 and this girl sees this guy in a bar. Girl thinks guy is cute, guy is indifferent to girl, girl is persistent, guy gives in, and eleven years later here we are writing a food blog together. True love people, true love. We are Gabe and Rachel and welcome to The Jazzed Kitchen. During our years together we’ve roller coastered health tracks, often being derailed by the quick and easy Western diet. After a while we started listening to our bodies screaming for more nutritious and nutrient dense foods.  We needed meals that were made with real, whole ingredients but the thought of a bland chicken breast with steamed veggies was as unappealing as cardboard. That’s when we decided to “jazz up” healthy eating. We got in the kitchen and started experimenting with new recipes and ingredients and we found that eating better was not only easy it was something we started to crave because the food was that tasty.  We created this little space to provide new recipes that are made with real food and are, more importantly, delicious! 

The Kitchen

Oh, you’re still reading? And you’d like to  know more about us and why you should listen to anything we have to say? Well, you really shouldn’t but if you insist….

First and foremost, know that we aren’t chefs nor do we have any professional training, we are two people who share a mutual love of creating healthy food that tastes amazing. Don’t get it twisted, we definitely have some missteps and create some dishes that taste like garbage, but don’t worry we keep those away from this space. Unless you’re an ass. If you’re an ass we’ll happily make you garbage. 

The People

Gabe is a fireman and Rachel is a special education teacher and we live in Southern California. Trust us when we say you can live a healthier lifestyle while keeping to a budget.  We live in a “cozy” 1930’s bungalow with a kitchen that is far from being Pinterest worthy but is still a place that provides a lot of joy for both of us. We are ordinary people. We both work full time and we don’t want to spend all of our time cooking. During the week we like to make quick meals and we also eat leftovers. Seriously, leftovers are life! We probably don’t fit the “typical” blogger mold, and we are totally OK with that. Life is too short, man. 

You still there? How about we mix it up a bit. Here are 10 fun things about each of us that you may or may not already know. 

Gabe

  1. I wanted to be Superman when I grew up.
  2. I have an obsession with Mexican food. My family had a Mexican restaurant, so I was eating salsa and chips and burritos basically since birth.
  3. I wish I would have played golf when I was growing up, because that looks like the life.
  4. I have been pseudo-obsessed with health and fitness since high school, but have gotten derailed a few times. Now I’m back on track.
  5. I’m currently in the market for a pre-1975 Ford Bronco, so if you are looking to offload one, I’m your guy.
  6. I believe hard work and sacrifice can help you achieve virtually anything, except being an NBA center, you need to be tall for that. But anything else.
  7. True Detective Season 1 is the greatest TV series ever.
  8. I love sleeping, and I work in a profession where we rarely sleep, so maybe don’t listen to a word I say.
  9. I grew up riding horses and doing “cowboy” things every weekend for well over a decade. My heroes really have always been cowboys.
  10. Hands down the saying I use the most is “wish in one hand, shit in the other and see which one fills up faster.” Stop wishing and start doing, people!

Rachel

  1. For the longest time I wanted to be a professional baker and when I was 21 I got a job in a French bakery. I showed up for my first 3:30am shift and didn’t even make it an hour before I cut my neck open and passed out.  That was my first and last day at the bakery. 
  2. I started working in a moderate/severe special education class after googling “non-office jobs” while stuck in one of Corporate America’s cubicles. I’d never worked with kids and it was the scariest yet best first day at work I’d ever had. It’s been eight years and I still think I have the greatest job around!  
  3. When I was little I had a really hard time with my R’s so I was known to most as “Wachel” until I was about 8. I still have a bit of anxiety every time I introduce myself that it will come out as “Wachel” instead of “Rachel” 
  4. Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings are on almost every weekend while I cook/clean/work. Sorry Gabe! Also, who are we kidding…I don’t clean every weekend. 
  5. I HATE folding laundry. Sometimes, I bribe my mom with lunch just so she’ll come over and fold them for me. Basically, I’m 30 (something) going on 13. 
  6. My first job was at a tanning salon when I was 15. It was disgusting. 
  7. I would put up Christmas decorations and start playing Christmas music November 1st if Gabe would let me. 
  8. Some people have food sensitivities to gluten. Others have sensitivities to dairy. I have a food sensitivity to spinach. I’m not complaining. 
  9. I’m a lefty.
  10. I have a not-so-secret dream of one day opening a bookstore/café/wine bar combo. 

Well, there you have it. Do you feel like you know us a little better? Great! Now, how about you? Any questions, thoughts or comments? Send them our way, we love hearing from you all! If you really like us feel free to follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest. We hope you enjoy your time on our sight and you make the rest of your day amazing!

Cheers!

-Gabe and Rachel