Since she baked her first chicken with her brother when she was five years old, biological sciences Ph.D. student Jasmine Brown has harbored a love for food. When she is not in the lab, she experiments in the kitchen and whips up fresh content for her food blog, “Jasmine’s Kitchen.”
Sharing an equal love for both biology and cooking, Brown’s idea to create a food blog emerged when she faced the decision of choosing a career path. Though Brown still wanted to pursue biology, she also craved an outlet which would allow her to share her culinary creations.
To experience the best of both worlds, she launched “Jasmine’s Kitchen” in June.
Going back to her roots for inspiration, Brown ultimately credits her passion for cooking to her grandmother, although she considers herself the best cook in the family. Generally, Brown considers cooking a family tradition.
“I want to be able to create my recipes for my family and share them with others,” she said.
On the blog, Brown uploads her recipes and reactions to her cooking. Though her comfort zone consists primarily of southern cuisine, she is open to trying a variety of cooking styles, including Asian-style meals.
Still in its early stage, Brown’s blog features four detailed recipes ranging from “7-Up Biscuits” to shrimp and grits. Once her impending wedding festivities start to subside, she plans to jump right back into her monthly food posts.
Tweaking recipes while in the kitchen, Brown correlates her experimental cooking flare with her educational background in biological sciences.
She said she loves the excitement of not knowing what to expect from her “kitchen freestyles.” Often using paprika as her go-to spice, Brown likes her food to have a “buildup of flavors,” capitalizing on the flavor compatibility she feels most restaurants lack by either excessively seasoning or not seasoning enough.
Though Brown does not have children of her own yet, she already has their health in mind as she creates distinctive recipes to pass along.
“I don’t want my children to just be stuck with fatty Louisiana red beans and rice as their go-to recipe,” Brown said.
Describing her palate as “diverse, festive and fun,” Brown constantly refers to her “Spice and Herb Bible” for inspiration.
She considers her favorite recipe to be strawberry beer can chicken, which is a spin-off of her mother’s original recipe Brown learned when she was 10 years old.
Always working on something tasty and new, Brown is already practicing and perfecting her turkey recipe to impress her grandfather as the holiday season approaches.
Whether she prepares a meal straight from a cookbook or improvises as she goes, Brown can count on her fiance as a loyal guinea pig. Since he is always willing to critique her, Brown is continuously able to perfect her craft.
“Food is love, and I love food,” Brown said.

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Ryan McCarble

Jasmine Brown is a Biology teacher who operates her own cooking blog "Jasmine's Kitchen."