FROM car guard to celebrity chef, it's been quite a journey for the vivacious Jenny Morris.
Morris spoke to Weekend Argus about how she “grew up in a garden” and her natural love for all things food this week.
“My first earnings, I was a car guard in Durban. During horserace meetings, I would stand there and ask the people if I could park their cars.
“I asked home owners along the road if I could park the cars there because people had huge lawns, and they agreed. I made a killing, but I got the hiding of my life for it from my mother, because she said it was not something little girls did,” laughed Morris.
Though her father was a messer, “he loved being in the kitchen, and he always encouraged me to join him,” she said.
Morris is an author, magazine writer, radio and TV presenter, celebrity chef, teacher, caterer and culinary tour guide who has had an ongoing love affair with food since she was a child. During her career, Morris has fed the likes of Thabo Mbeki, Al Gore, Charlize Theron, Kenneth Kaunda, Prince Charles and many more.
Morris gets her passion for food from her father who was a messer, adventurous cook and a fan of organic foods.
“My father was an adventurous cook and he grew everything, I always say I grew up in a garden,” she giggled. “We were not allowed to buy anything except mushrooms because he didn't know much about the spores or how to cultivate them, he influenced my love for cooking.”
Morris told Weekend Argus that her mother was more of a traditional cook.
“She would make the slow-cooked stews, really nice cooking.
“But my dad would try different spices and new recipes, and I took a lot away from that.”
Her food and cooking style has not only turned her into a household name but also won her several competitions such as the National Coke Food festival where she won R155 000 to plough back into her restaurant, where home-style meals are prepared.
According to her website, Morris is “the well-known creator of Giggling Gourmet, a catering company of note, The Cooks Playground, where she teaches practical hands-on cooking courses at her cooking school. These include the now famous Cooks Parties, Team Cooking and Single Cooks alternatives, all of which have fun and laughter as a main ingredient”.
The bubbly mother of three boys is now getting ready to sail off on an eight-day cruise where she will explore various foods from different countries. The food tour will kick off later this month. Morris told Weekend Argus she could not wait to visit Italy and the end of the tour in Malta and Dubai. On the cruise, she will prepare exotic traditional dishes with a touch of her very own je ne sais quoi.