We met Jess while working at TeaSource.  She was a hard worker with a sharp wit so we hit it off right away.  It was evident from the moment we met her that she had a great love for food and beverages of all kinds.  Through the years we have helped her with her food projects (creating her own cookbook) and in turn, she has helped us with our own projects (creating an alcoholic drink menu using tea).

Her latest project has been ambitious, to say the least.  In one tiny room in her home, she houses over 100 cookbooks.  119 to be exact.  (She told us she had some more, but they were probably packed away in a box somewhere.)  Her task: cook one recipe from each book, chosen at random by her friends, family and colleagues.  She devised some sort of wonky algorithm, using empirical calculus to create the algebraic equation for determining which recipe from which cookbook she would cook.  (Okay, maybe it wasn’t so complicated… here’s the real explanation.)

Jess wanted to wrap up her project (which took just over a year to complete) by choosing the recipe herself (from the last remaining cookbook) and inviting the two of us over to photograph, eat and socialize.  Did we mention that we LOVE our job??

Not only did she serve up some Grits Pie (from Paula Deen’s cookbook The Lady & Sons, Just Desserts), she also whipped up some scrumptious appetizers. Thanks Jess for your friendship and your amazing food!

Want to see more of the 119 cookbooks project?  Visit her website to see all 119 recipes, as well as recipes using fresh produce from her urban, backyard garden.