Georgia Perimeter Bio: Jennifer McCord

GPC BIO

April 23, 2012

798

Johnson

Jennifer McCord

“Picture provided by Jennifer McCord”

                    When I first received this assignment, I initially had another GPC staff member who I was planning on interviewing. However, when that didn't work out, I turned to Mrs. Jennifer McCoy and I am very glad about my decision to do so. McCord is the Dunwoody campus bookstore supervisor and when I came to her with the hopes of being able to interview her, she was very eager to do so. As a wife and mother of three young children, she has a lot to juggle on a daily basis, and coupled with work, she has her hands full. However, there is one particular activity she enjoys doing on her “me” time. That glorious activity for her is cooking. McCord stated that “I realized I started enjoying cooking as teenager, but actually started cooking when I was 10.” 

During her middle and high school years, McCord took Home Ed classes and would experiment cooking meals at home. One day she thought to herself “I kinda like this” and from there on her love really began. On the weekends is when she would make everyone in her family a specific breakfast of their desire. According to McCord, “I cooked everyday”.

                    She cooked everything from fried chicken to grilled foods, to pancakes, eggs, and more. “I like cooking pot roast and roasted vegetables the most. My family goes nuts over my pot roast and roasted vegetables”, she said. She also enjoys making food from scratch, such as her homemade pudding.

Yet when I asked her if she would become a cook as a profession, I was surprised to hear her say no. For her, the stress would be overwhelming and trying to please everyone and use all the proper techniques would take the fun out of it. She stated that if there was no stress involved, then yes, she wouldn't mind going into the profession.

                   She went on to mention that she is inspired by many cooks, one of them being Paula Dean, who according to Huffington Post, is known as the Butter Queen and has now disclosed that she has type 2 diabetes. McCord enjoys Paula D. for her home style like cooking. McCord is also inspired by G. Garvin, a chef from Georgia who now has his own t.v. Show and has created some great recipes. She is also inspired by cooks who have not gone to culinary school, like Rachel Ray.

McCord is a very healthy eater and when it comes to buying her food products and brands she is very selective. Silk milk, Ezekial gluten free breads, and Farmer's Market brand foods are among her favorite brands of food. They still provide great taste, but provide a healthier portion of fats, sugars, and calories. While she does prefer these healthier food alternatives, there are some unhealthy brands of foods that she adores; Lays potato chips is one of her favorites.

                      When I spoke to her husband, James McCord, he said that “My wife's cooking is great. I think it is innovative.” He went on in further detail, saying that his wife will take regular ordinary foods and combine them into something new and creative. Jennifer McCord chimed in as well, saying that while some of her foods were different and creative, she still managed to make them tasty and healthy at the same time.

I jokingly asked her husband which of them was the better cook. He laughed, but quickly responded. “It all depends on what is being made”, he stated. I even spoke to Jennifer McCord's father, David Page, who stated that he loved his daughters cooking. “My favorite dish that my daughter makes is her roast” he said. He also mentioned that Jennifer really did cook everyday. Her mother was always to busy to cook, so Jennifer was the family's designated cook. According to him, her mother only cooked for special occasions such as Christmas and thanksgiving. But on a regular basis, Jenn was the one cooking. He chuckled, saying that it was a good thing that she enjoyed it.

McCord had a few more thoughts that she wanted to reveal to me, specifically about healthy versus unhealthy eating. She stated that people can still eat the foods they like, but in a healthier way. She used the example of fried chicken to explain her meaning. Fried chicken is typically cooked with very heavy flour, yet instead of regular flour, she uses rice flour, a lighter and less fattening substance. According to her, people are going to eat what they like and what they want. She ended our interview off on a final note. “Unhealthy eating would not exist if people changed the way they prepared their meals”.