She’s the person who got us through lockdown and months of boredom being in the kitchen with her inspiring Instagram feed of… food. She’s funny, insanely talented, and a force to be reckoned with. If you don’t follow Kirsten Jenkins, then we’re going to ask: where the bloody hell are you? 

Food stylist, recipe developer, content creator and all-round motivator to create a really tasty sandwich (look just follow her on instagram - IYKYK), Kirsten works with a number of food titles including delicious. - and thrillingly recently revealed three ways to chop a spring onion (there’s nothing she can’t do!!). She loves a Negroni - and quite frankly, we’d love to have one with her, we got to chat with the always sparky Kirsten Jenkins.

Kirsten Jenkins - what should we know about you? Well….I think I’m a pretty fun mix of likes, passions, hobbies. I don’t think they all make sense together but they’re definitely a unique mix. I love art, fashion/design, arthouse cinema, good food, architecture and then to complement that side I’m a mad sports lover and in particular a huge footy head! I love watching large strong men carry a ball and smash into each other! I live for when the footy season starts and I get to watch my team the Rabbitohs.

What was your childhood like? What did you love doing? I had a brilliant childhood. We lived across the road from the beach in Cronulla, Sydney - and my brother and I lived to surf everyday. We grew up in Wanda Surf Club, first in Nippers and then the senior club, it was like having a big extended family.

What did you want to be when you grew up? Hilarious, I wanted to be a sports agent like Jerry Maguire! Growing up in a very sporty community, I presumed that’s what I’d end up doing.

Tell us how your career started? Well after my Jerry Maguire bubble burst, I had no idea what I wanted to do, so my Mum told me to go backpacking through Europe, telling me she knew I would discover what I wanted over there, she was right! I came back after 6 months and enrolled in TAFE to do my chef's certificate.

What’s your most favourite thing to cook? Any type of pasta. Pasta is just the most glorious thing to cook and eat.

You come home exhausted and CBF. But you’ve invited friends over for dinner. What do you cook? Bit boring after the last answer but definitely pasta with a great salad to go with it. I am also loving this really clean soup I’ve been making recently, a ginger chicken egg drop rice soup, it's really bloody good.

Favourite cocktail? I am mad for a cocktail, so can I have more than one answer? Whiskey sour, Margarita and Negroni.

Croissant or pain au chocolat? This is probably controversial…but can I say neither?

In 5 words describe your style: Masculine, androgynous, fun, tailored, bold.

What inspires you? People being honest with themselves, brave enough to show their uniqueness through the way they dress and present. I feel so much joy seeing the wave of humans out there especially in the media being confident enough to dress how they feel instead of what their gender might normally stipulate.

What’s your most productive time of the day? Definitely in the morning. I’m a better person when I meditate, exercise and take some time to write down some thoughts in the morning. 

Into our third year of pandemic - and everything else - what’s been a light at the end of the tunnel for you? This question has been a hard one for me to answer because I know it’s been a terrible shit show for a lot of people, but for me personally it has been such an amazing period of growth. I’ve tried to appreciate everything we’ve been sent, even though a lot of the time it really hasn’t seemed to make sense! With that being said, the light for me is seeing communities coming back together and maybe now coming back even stronger than before. 

Who do you love following on Instagram? @stylebydeni @betootaadvocate @nigelslater @food_feels @joelbennetts 

What are you looking forward to? What’s next for you? Well I just moved from Sydney to Melbourne to be with my partner Ellie Studd, so I am really excited about getting to know a new city and its people. I’m also excited about the unknown, what’s next?

Favourite place to eat in Melbourne? A standout for me is the Carlton Wine Room! Incredible. Embla...so, so good. And Tipo 00. They're my real favourites. Also in my ‘hood which is so good is the new The Public Wine Shop - more of a wine bar but the food is seriously good...I've been there every weekend since I've moved.

Best coffee in Melbourne? Coffee I'm biased, because she is now my sister in-law, Market Lane coffee! But it really is great coffee

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You can find Kirsten on Instagram here and take a look at her website here. 

Kirsten wears Le Tigre Miranda blouse and Elvira pant throughout.