In the fall of 2020, I had just moved upstate to Woodstock, NY after leaving Brooklyn in the height of the pandemic for what I thought would be a temporary period of time. While Woodstock was a bit slower paced than the city I’d called home over the past 11 years, like many others around the world at this particular point in time, I found myself spending tons of time in the kitchen.

The kitchen was no stranger to me; in fact, as the Rizzo family was always overflowing with great cooks, dinner time was a sacred ritual growing up. And, no dinner table was complete without some form of crusty Italian bread at the center of it. So as my friends would take the train upstate to come visit for long weekends, focaccia was something I began to make and perfect over time. It became something my friends would expect from me during their visit. It wasn’t until a friend said, “This bread is unreal every time! You know you could really sell this,,,” that I began to listen. So I began selling my bread and other treats at a local farmers market which quickly escalated to a grocery store, coffee shop, taking catering orders, and more.

While work demands forced me to take a step back and put Jennie’s on hold, it wasn’t until my move to Los Angeles in 2023 when I got my creative juices flowing and decided to revisit the idea. The only problem: focaccia, and really any fresh bread, is best consumed within 1-2 days. It wasn’t until my girlfriend, Ashlyn, brainstormed an innovative packing strategy to preserve freshness while keeping ingredients minimal, clean, and organic, that she knew she’d found a way. And here we are!

All that aside, at the heart of Jennie’s House is a love for food, cooking, and in particular, cooking for others. We hope to continue this legacy and help others create special moments with their friends, loved ones, or even just themselves.