Photo by Brian Moilanen
Jenna Martinez is a talented woman. Currently, she is an artist manager at Falcon Artist Management based out of Jacksonville, Florida, where she manages artists such as Leticia Lopez, Kim Reteguiz, and various blues and jazz artists. She has an incredible life journey, where music and culinary arts converge throughout her story. Her journey has taken her to places like Florida, New York, Puerto Rico and Russia. Jenna is a talented bass player and jazz singer and listens to Miles Davis while cooking up recipes from various countries when not on the stage. Artists like her are what make jazz music so unique. Jenna’s favorite literary quote is Shakespeare’s, ” If music be the food of love, play on”. When I learned that, I invited her to interview for JP as that was our original slogan. This slogan sums up Jenna’s personal philosophy on the culinary creative process.
Jenna has a multi- cultural lineage, and, in order to understand her current journey, perhaps it is best to start with her great-great-grandfather, Angel Carrasquillo in Puerto Rico. Local legend has it that Mr. Carrasquillo was a rebellious man who, with a $100.00 loan and a fork, started a pastelillo empire. Pastelillo is a kind of turnover, akin to an empanada, and this culinary delight allowed Mr. Carrasquillo to start a factory. The business was successful and, according to local lore, he bought a new Buick every year, based on his shirt color. Mr. Carrasquillo’s entrepreneurship and creativity passed down to Jenna, and, although not as rebellious as her great-great-grandfather, she is just as passionate about her art.
Jenna developed a fascination with the jazz legends from an early age, even writing school reports on Etta James and Billie Holiday. She studied the musical styles of Grace Slick and Janis Joplin, whom she openly admires. Jenna started playing music in high school and fell in love with cooking. She soon learned that music and culinary arts share the same sense of adventure and creative spirit and she incorporates her favorite music into the kitchen every chance she can. In fact, musical notes adorn her favorite cutting board and reads, “glorious food”.
As a teen, Jenna was a foreign exchange student in Russia. She fell in love with the culture and the food. To this day, borsch is among her favorite recipes, and she adds a little Puerto Rican flair to the traditional method. Jenna recounts a trip she took to New York City with some close friends. In her words, “a certain famous person” recommended the Russian Tea Room that served martinis with caviar. The dinner solidified Jenna’s love of exotic food and travel. Miss Polly’s barbeque in Memphis, Tennessee, is one of her favorite destination restaurants.
Jenna’s love of food is as diverse as her love for different musical genres. Her favorite movie is “What’s Love Got to Do With It”. Although a tragic life story of Tina Turner, Jenna connects with it and calls it raw and gritty. She loves the female pioneers of music, particularly Aretha Franklin and Billie Holiday, her favorite song being, ” I’ll be Seeing You”. She associates her food with memories, and music has had a similar resonation throughout her life.
Jenna researched her ancestry and found a variety of lineages including Jewish, Spanish, Portuguese and South African descent. She came upon the idea to “cook through her ancestry” and learned how to cook dishes based on her heritage. Her favorite culinary cuisine is Italian, though clearly, she has an open palate and does not shy away from any culinary adventure. She once spent a month cooking food from other countries, each weekend highlighting a different country’s culinary heritage. In her words, there is no substitute for good people and good food. In 2017, Kameron Perry invited her to Gastrofest at Hemming Plaza in Jacksonville and Jenna sampled so much food that she nearly got sick!
2015 was a pivotal year of change for Jenna and the past couple of years marked by personal loss. However, Jenna does not dwell on the losses. She continues to make wonderful music and food and spends as much time as possible with close friends. Jenna appreciates how music and food always intertwine in her life, during both tragic and happy times.
In 2018, Jenna’s sister passed away at a young age. She was a chef and Jenna inherited her pots and pans and cooks with them to this day. This is a subtle homage that carries her sister’s memory forward and allows Jenna to spend time with her. Along with the pots and pans, Jenna inherited her school reports on Grace Slick and a record collection that includes a copy of Pearl, Janis Joplin’s posthumously released classic album.
Culinary arts is a personal venture for artists like Jenna, and she uses her art as personal expression. Jenna had a close friend who introduced her to Mongolian barbeque. They went out to eat often, and she laughs today at how he made fun of her for eating her chicken wings with a fork and knife. Tragically, he passed in July, and, while Jenna relishes her memories of dining out with him, she regrets not cooking more for him when he asked.
Throughout this painful part of Jenna’s life journey, she remains optimistic and open to change. She has a mature outlook about love and loss and does not allow it to define her future, or redefine her goals. Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, she remains grateful for her closest friends and the time they spend together. She doesn’t know what trajectory her path is taking in the next couple years, as none of us do. However, she craves change and more travel and the ability to live in the moment.
I enjoyed my conversation with Jenna and deeply appreciate her being open to the interview. She has a fascinating life story, and I am a better person after hearing it. She is the rare individual that has a positive impact on those whom she encounters and is too humble to acknowledge it. My personal takeaway from our conversation is that, throughout our journeys, we should remain open to change, no matter the circumstances we find ourselves in. Good people, good food and good drink are prerequisites for a fulfilling life, and Jenna incorporates all three into her journey.
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