JENNE LOMBARDO: “GROCERY CHIC”

The grocery store is not a typical setting for debuting runway inspired looks-stilettos, floor length gowns, or semi precious accessories. But when we meet Jenne Lombardo at the Bowery Street Whole Foods Market, we are given a lesson on “grocery chic”. With an oversized pair of tortoise shell sunglasses, dripping in chunky silver jewelry, wearing a floor-grazing leopard coat, and an ethereal white gown, this mother of three strolls down the aisles strategically filling her cart with a combination of health foods, produce, and pre made alphabet shaped French fries. Although this fashion savvy mother is consumed by a heavy work schedule, she has recently opened her own fashion and branding consultancy- The Terminal Presents, she manages to keep her children well fed and prioritizes weekend homemade feasts. Today she invites us along on her weekly shopping trip. As we go from pasta aisle to produce section, she jokingly admits that she often “buys up the entire store”. Her perfected shopping routine is approached not unlike how she operates her business both elegantly and efficiently.

“I think the simpler the meal the more I enjoy it” Jenne explains. This statement seems to dictate her purchases-fresh fish, vegetables and stock being some of her staple selections. “I don’t like the natural flavors of things to be taken away. I just like enhancing them. I am someone who really enjoys the taste of vegetables for example. So I would say, overall I make meals that taste good and are clean. I think it’s the easiest way to go, and it’s always the same ingredients for the most part. I don’t use a lot of spices. It is limited to dill, cilantro, parsley, olive oil, lemon and salt & pepper.” These ingredients are mixed and matched when she creates her signature dishes, many of which are seafood inspired. “I am really good, incredibly good at making clam linguine. Actually I am really good at making a lot of seafood dishes. I also like making cod. I put it in parchment paper with lots of different fresh veggies and add stock to keep it moist. I let it cook and serve it over quinoa. It’s really simple and always delicious. The other great thing about my cooking is that I can use the leftovers in appealing ways. The next day I serve the fish cold and put it over salad with dill and lemon-easy!”

While this fashionable mother can transform fish and clams into culinary masterpieces, meat is no easy feat. “I am not good with roasts and red meats yet-I am intimidated by them,” she admits. But she does feel comfortable preparing chicken-especially in the nugget form. She is a pro at popping dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets into an oven for a quick, well-received meal. She buys up to five boxes of these “kid approved” foods at one time. “They get devoured!” She laughs, especially by her youngest, who has a sixth sense for food. “He responds to the sound of wrappers opening! He eats like a cow! You can’t open up a cupboard without him finding you. He literally throws a tantrum if he hears anything being opened and isn’t immediately given something to munch on.” In order to humor her kid’s appetites, Jenne keeps her fridge stocked with healthy snacks but does not push a health food agenda. “I think its dangerous territory to dictate what they should eat. It’s like dictating what they should wear. I believe you just need to provide them with the tools to make their own decisions and hope they make the best ones. So yes, there are cookies in the house and they get lollipops but most of the time they choose the probiotic yogurts that I keep the fridge filled with.”

When it is time for Jenne to host play dates, her go to snacks are pizza bagels and alphabet fries. “They are having more play dates so they can have like 5 friends over at a time-you always have to have lots of ketchup and I get these alphabet fries which they can spell their names out with. Its like fun with food!” Other “naughty” foods the kids are allowed to enjoy are Happy Meals from McDonald’s. But she stresses, this is the most exceptional of all the aforementioned “treats”. They are only allowed to feast on the American favorite a few times a year, and only out of convenience. Jenne acknowledges that her family’s adherence to a healthy food diet is less enforced during the summer months. “On the way out to the beach, at the end of the highway there is a McDonalds. So after you have been in traffic for like 3 hours, every once in a while, my mom will take my kids to McDonalds. I think its fun. I mean its disgusting, but its fun. Its like fashion you can’t take it to seriously. You have to expand your palette. Allow them to see what it tastes like. They know its delicious but on the other hand, they know its not good for them, and they don’t get it often. It’s like a summer treat”. The Mcnuggets and cheeseburgers are juxtaposed with the farmer’s market fare Jenne does purchase while out in Montauk where her family spends most weekends to get away from the blistering heat of the city. I get most of my food from the beach. I stop at all the farmers markets on the way home.

When they get back to Manhattan, it is back to fresh fish and probiotic yogurts. While Jenne is lenient, she does maintain that her family eats the best quality foods as often as they can. “Its so cool that kids can have this kind of stuff now. I am from Ohio and although my parents were tremendous cooks, they did not have access to the healthiest foods. Back then we didn’t have the knowledge we have now about health food unless you were part of a co-op. And lets face it at that time co-ops were a lot of hippies with new age crystals!” she laughs.
We end this trip on a sweet note, when we find ourselves in the cookie aisle. Jenne quickly becomes sentimental about the crispy baked goods. “When my kids come to the store with me, they get to pick out treats. We also live across the street from Di Palo Selects-Italian Specialty Foods, so we get Italian cookies on a weekly basis. Its like a special thing for us”