Jeanie Roland

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Jeanie Roland
Born1966 (age 57–58)
Waterbury, Connecticut
Websitechefjeanieroland.com

Jeanie Roland (born c.1966), is an American chef and restaurateur.

Early life and education[edit]

Jeanie Kachergis was born to Alfred Kachergis, a Marine, and grew up in a Lithuanian neighborhood in Waterbury, Connecticut, developing an early interest in cooking.[1][2][3] She swam competitively starting at age 3.[4]

She started working in the restaurant industry at age 14, washing dishes.[1][5] She received a bachelor's degree in exercise science from Southern Connecticut State University, where she was a competitive swimmer, and in 1992 graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York.[5][6][3]

Career[edit]

Roland's first professional position was at a private club in California, where she was verbally abused by her boss, whom she had considered a mentor but who made misogynistic comments to and about her in front of coworkers.[7] She and her husband then worked together as private chefs for a corporation.[4]

Roland became unemployed after a downsizing resulting from the September 11th terrorist attacks.[8] She and her husband moved to Florida and opened The Perfect Caper in Punta Gorda in 2001.[2] In 2012, she opened Ella's Food & Drink in Westerly, Rhode Island.[9][10]

Roland has written two cookbooks, Butter, Love & Cream (2018) and The Perfect Caper Home Cooking (2022)[1][11][2] Salon said of The Perfect Caper that "with the same relaxed elegance she brings to her restaurants...Roland imbues her writing with approachable warmth".[12]

She defeated Bobby Flay in an episode of Beat Bobby Flay and competed on Iron Chef Gauntlet, Season 2.[13][5] In 2020 she gave a private cooking lesson for Taylor Swift, a Westerly resident.[14][15]

Personal life[edit]

Roland is married to James Roland, a fellow chef; the two met in California.[3] They are co-owners of the restaurants.[1][2]

Recognition[edit]

Roland has been nominated seven times by the James Beard foundation as a semifinalist for Best Chef-South region.[16][1] CBS Boston said, "Restaurants simply don't get much better than Ella's Food and Drink in Westerly, Rhode Island."[17]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e Gagosz, Alexa (15 July 2022). "For the love of butter: Chef Jeanie Roland on pushing the culinary boundaries in a small New England town". Boston Globe. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  2. ^ a b c d Burns-Fusaro, Nancy (23 July 2022). "Ella's Jeanie Roland is out with a new cookbook, 'The Perfect Caper'". Westerly Sun. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  3. ^ a b c Rodriguez, Johnette (6 June 2017). "Chef and Restaurateur Jeanie Roland of Ella's in Westerly". Edible Rhody. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  4. ^ a b Gordon, Joan (14 February 2017). "In the kitchen: Chef Jeanie Roland, Ella's". Norwich Bulletin. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  5. ^ a b c Barry, Amy (August 15, 2015). "Westerly chef Jeanie Roland beats Bobby Flay at his own game". The Day. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
  6. ^ "Florida chef Jeanie Roland talks competing on 'Iron Chef Gauntlet' and the time she beat Bobby Flay". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
  7. ^ Greco, Karen. "Women in the South County Food Industry: Taking the temperature of Southern Rhody's women-run restaurants". Providence Media. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  8. ^ Ciampa, Gail. "Chef shares recipes from family, friends and her restaurants in Florida and RI". The Providence Journal. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  9. ^ Pelletier, Jenna. "The joy of cooking Valentine's Day dinner at home, with a little help from Westerly chef Jeanie Roland". The Providence Journal. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
  10. ^ Baldelli, Ann (January 19, 2019). "Ella's in Westerly is an exemplary eatery". The Day. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
  11. ^ Bonnie, Bryden (2022-04-19). "In the Kitchen: Fluffy Molded Pancakes". WPRI.com. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
  12. ^ Williams, Mary Elizabeth (2022-06-19). "I thought I didn't like hummus until I tried this lighter-than-air version". Salon. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  13. ^ "Meet the Challengers Competing on Iron Chef Gauntlet, Season 2". Food Network. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
  14. ^ "Taylor Swift & Lorde Take Cooking Class in Rhode Island". People Magazine. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  15. ^ Muhammad, Latifah (2022-05-24). "Want to Eat Like Taylor Swift? Here's How to Make One of Her Favorite Restaurant Dishes at Home". Billboard. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  16. ^ Forbes, Paula (2012-02-21). "JBF Announces 2012 Restaurant and Chef Semifinalists". Eater. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
  17. ^ "Phantom Gourmet: Ella's Food & Drink In Westerly, RI". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
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