About Jen Kim & Le Dinner Party

Who is She?

Hello there! 

I’m Jen Kim (She/Her/Hers), an entrepreneur—a chef, boulangère, writer, and founder of Le Dinner Party™ LLC. As a first generation American and college graduate who grew up in El Paso, Texas, I climbed the career ladder in the education and nonprofit sector in New York City for over a decade. I taught at elementary schools, trained school leaders and teachers, and managed & started up non-profits. In 2019, I began to question whether this continual climbing was for me. I decided to expand my world and pursue my love of people, food, and connection.

My spouse, Romaine, and I moved from Brooklyn to Paris, where I began my formal education in cuisine. I trained at the illustrious Ferrandi Paris School of Gastronomy and completed both the Cuisine and Bread Baking Intensive Professional Programs. I’ve worked at a Michelin Star Chef’s restaurant, studied with the most prestigious chefs in France, including highly decorated Meilleur Ouvrier de France (or MOF) chefs, and baked at DuPain and Ten Belles in Paris. You can read more about the journey here. After years of immersing myself across various roles and industries in cuisine, I’ve learned what I’m passionate about: 

I host, teach, and encourage people to create inclusive spaces to build and deepen meaningful relationships around food; because meals are where life happens. 

What is Le Dinner Party?

I started Le Dinner Party as a website, an online community and a way for me to stay connected with my loved ones as I left the place I loved deeply—New York City. This website began as a space to share stories, menus, recipes, and learnings as I navigated a career change. Romaine and I anchored how we hosted in Radical Hospitality, and the what we were doing resonated with our established friends in Brooklyn, helped us make beautiful friendships in France, and now, we have the beginnings of a lovely community in Vermont. 

I've spent a lot of time defining the contours of what it means to build equitable, meaningful, and sustainable work in the hospitality industry, and I’d love for you to be a part of this journey by joining the LDP community by signing up for the newsletter.