Bringing Home the Bacon
Jennifer Hall is a single fur baby mom who loves to cook and entertain. She traveled all over the United States before finally deciding Panama City Beach was the place to be, relocating to the area in 2014.
Jennifer has always loved to cook, teaching herself when she was young. Eventually, this love of cooking grew from a passion to a business. When she first moved to Florida, Hall opened up The Shack Pub and Grub, a food truck concept. She would go set up at bars that didn’t serve food and host a Steak Night or Whole Hog Roast that eventually evolved into Mystery Murder Dinner Shows. These proved to be a big hit. Jennifer took this concept to breweries, bars, restaurants and other local hot spots like Captain Anderson’s Event Center.
Then Hurricane Michael hit and business slowed to a stop. Jennifer thought outside the box and decided to start making dessert bacon, bacon caramelized in brown sugar and spices, and package it in decorative holiday tins which she sold to restaurants and bars for the holidays. This effort expanded into smoked holiday hams, which are smoked over twenty-four hours and topped with a bourbon brown sugar glaze.
Eventually, through word of mouth, Jennifer came to be known as the ham lady or the bacon lady. So in 2019, she did the next logical thing: she founded Gatherings by Jennifer. “Everyone loved my cooking, and I have hosted big events of 250 people or more, as well as small, romantic home-cooked meals for two,” she says. “I’ve taught myself to cook pretty much anything, and it has helped me venture out into different venues.”
Though her specialty foods are equally popular at weddings and corporate functions, she also hosts holiday parties that are mystery-themed. Think Bad Santa or Ugly Sweater Office party with an assortment of great food and a “whodunnit” to solve before evening’s end.
In addition to Jennifer’s catering business, with the help of some great friends, she also started Emerald Coast Bonfires, and it’s been a huge hit. Emerald Coast Bonfires is equipped to handle all beach bonfire needs whether it’s a fun-filled family outing, a romantic night under the stars or a majestic beach wedding anywhere along the Emerald Coast.
For more information find Jennifer at www.emeraldcoastbonfires.com and www.gatheringbyjennifer.com.
