Classically trained. Chronically online.
I’m Jess. A classically trained chef who’s spent over a decade in the kitchens of the ultra-rich, on superyachts, and in the boardrooms of their businesses. I built 300+ menu items for Dubai International Airport and went on to consult for global brands like Panasonic, Instant Brands, and Le Creuset.
The kind of work that doesn’t fit neatly into one job title, which is probably why I ended up building my own.
As trusted by:
About the Cartel
How The Cartel Got Here
I founded The Culinary Cartel in 2010 as a private chef service, cooking for luxury brand owners, financiers, high-profile families, and the occasional someone I’m still not allowed to talk about. The kind of work where you learn very quickly that the food has to be exceptional, every single time, because the person eating it will absolutely tell you if it isn’t.
Those years taught me everything I needed to know about what people actually love to eat. And it’s never what you’d expect. When someone can have anything, night after night, the complicated stuff falls away fast. Turns out the jet set want the same thing everyone does. Beautiful ingredients, cooked simply and well. That’s it. That wins every time.
That principle followed me into everything that came after.
The Proof
Past partnerships include Instant Brands, Panasonic, Le Creuset, Oreo, Boursin, Bombay Sapphire, Thermapen, and Ocado. From creator campaigns to full white-label content where my name never appears.
The deepest is Instant Brands. Five years consulting on their food content, 200+ recipes for their website and app, and creative input across the full range. The newest is Panasonic Marketing Europe, a multi-year partnership spanning recipe development, video, and photography across numerous product lines. Content they now use in their own paid advertising.
Both started the same way. Someone saw the work and asked for more.
What I do now
When clients started pulling me into their businesses, into menu development, food strategy, and creative direction, I built The Cartel around them. Today it’s part studio, part personal brand. I develop recipes and produce food content for global brands. I create recipes for my own audience of 470,000+ across Instagram, TikTok, and Substack. And I consult on food strategy for businesses that care about how their food actually tastes, not just how it looks in the pitch deck.
Some projects are just me. Others need a full production team, photographers, videographers, food stylists, and recipe developers I’ve worked with for years. Either way, the principle stays the same. Get the food right first.
If your brand has anything to do with food, drink, or the kitchen, we should probably talk.
Three Ways To Work Together
Creator Partnerships
Sponsored content on my channels. Recipes built around your product, woven into integrated campaigns across Instagram, TikTok, and Substack. This is for brands who want chef-credible content in front of an engaged audience of 470,000+ people who love to cook.
Includes: Recipe ideation, shoot direction, editing, copywriting, posting across agreed platforms, usage rights negotiated per campaign.
White-Label Content & Recipe Development
The quiet version. I develop recipes, shoot content, and produce food media that lives on your channels. Your website, your apps, your packaging, your ads. Without my name anywhere near it. This is the largest part of the business and often the work I’m most proud of.
Includes: Full recipe development, photography, short and long-form video, app and website content, campaign assets, A/B test variants. Production scales with the brief.
Owned-Audience Partnerships
For brands that want a spot in front of the die-hards. My Substack community, 5,200+ subscribers receiving two recipes a week, is the smallest number on this page and the most convertible. These are people who cook what I share, buy what I recommend, and trust what I put in front of them. I’m selective about these partnerships for exactly that reason. If it wouldn’t earn a place in my own kitchen, it’s not going in their inbox.
Includes: Editorial placement, product integration, cross-posting to Instagram and TikTok where relevant.
The Reach
The audience consists of predominantly women (61%), core age 25 to 44, based mainly in the UK, US, and Europe. People who cook, entertain, subscribe to food publications, and buy kitchen appliances.
Selected Clients:
As Featured In:
Selected Work
Panasonic Marketing Europe
Multi-year content partnership across multiple kitchen appliance lines. Recipe development, video production, food photography, concept direction, and integrated campaigns across Panasonic’s website, YouTube, and social channels. Panasonic uses this content in their own paid advertising.
“We would love to work with you again on recipe, video and how-to content.” – Sara Kök, European Senior Marketing Communication Manager, Panasonic
Instant Brands
Five years leading food content and recipe development across the full Instant Pot and VersaZone Air Fryer range. 200+ recipes created, developed, and art directed. Monthly retainer content delivery, on-location filming at Instant Brands HQ, contribution to in-house demos and press events.
“”Jess has contributed over 200 delicious and easy to follow recipes to Instant Pot across a variety of product sectors including air fryers and multi-cookers. She has helped us with press events and internal events, bringing with her a wealth of knowledge that has been invaluable. She has helped shape our social media, web and app content with her culinary expertise.”
HWH Investments
New product development for Dubai International Airport’s largest F&B operator. I built 300+ menu items across nine food concepts, including adaptogenic juices, keto meals, and vegan ranges. Implemented byproduct repurposing systems to reduce kitchen waste.
Oreo / Mondelēz
Styling and Prop Director for Oreo’s Ramadan campaign shoot. I refined client-provided recipes for camera, art directed the set, and shot point-of-sale imagery for retail use across MEA markets.
“Amazing creative assets, delivered everything on time.” – Ilona, Saatchi & Saatchi MEA
Franke
Handpicked to visit the Franke Studio Kitchen as part of their 2025 “The Show Is Home” campaign. Two campaign reels delivered 963,679 combined views and reached 671,163 accounts. The agency subsequently extended the content to Franke’s Pinterest channel with full credit and backlinks.
The relationship has since grown into a full brand ambassador partnership. Franke is supplying a complete kitchen (oven, hob, sink, Water Hub, and waste management system) for the new production studio, with ongoing content creation across recipe, how-to, and collaboration formats.
“We truly loved your content — it’s fantastic.” – Alex Aster, The Connection / Franke UK
Banhoek Chilli Oil
Six-month white-label content contract plus follow-up commissions. Twelve recipes developed and shot for Banhoek’s own channels, with full ownership transferred to the brand. Four supporting posts on my own channels featuring Banhoek products drove the brand’s biggest organic surge to date.
Combined results across the four supporting posts: 2.9 million views, 69,000 saves, 17,646 new followers gained from content tagging the brand. Top-performing post (Spicy Pea and Pancetta Potato Salad) reached 1.24 million views with 22,000 saves on Instagram alone.
Summer campaign featuring Boursin within an original recipe. Sponsored video with voiceover, plus a full photography package for Boursin’s marketing use. Brand-approved deliverables, recipe permanently hosted on culinarycartel.com.
“We’re so grateful for your amazing content and the support is so appreciated.” – Katie, Founder, Banhoek Chilli Oil
The Studio
I work from a purpose-built studio kitchen in Surrey, designed in collaboration with Plykitchen and fitted with Franke appliances. It was built specifically for shooting recipe content at scale. Proper lighting, proper worktop space, and everything within arm’s reach. For larger productions I bring in a trusted team of freelance photographers, videographers, food stylists, and recipe developers.
How It Works
You get in touch.
Send a brief, even a rough one. Tell me what the product is, what you’re after, and what you’ve got in mind.
We have a call.
Thirty minutes to make sure we’re a good fit and I understand the full picture. The brief, the brand, the audience, the thing you haven’t figured out yet.
I send a proposal
We define the scope, deliverables, and fee together. Everything agreed upfront.
We make it.
Recipe development, shoots, edits, delivery. Whatever the project needs. You’ll know where things stand without having to chase.
You get recipes that work
Developed from scratch with my classical and technical background behind every single one. Tested, refined, and delivered on time in the formats you need, with agreed amends built in.