Jennifer Whitmire Found Her Life’s Purpose in Monticello
Jennifer Whitmire isn’t a Jasper County native but she has definitely made the area her cherished home. She and her husband Shane, along with their two children made Shady Dale their home in 2011 following their inlaws to the county.
Jennifer was raised on Skidaway Island, just south of Savannah, where her eldest child now lives and works. When not acting as chaffeur to her active Jasper County middle schooler Carley, Jennifer works part-time as bookkeeper at Monticello Auto Parts while operating an organic grown farm with her husband who also works part-time with a commercial landscaping company in Atlanta.
In operating Wholistic Farms, which has been a dream of theirs for a longtime, Jennifer said it led to her finding her “purpose in life” which is preparing the healthy food they grow. After earning several degrees including an undergraduate degree in accounting, masters degree in health science, and masters degree in math education, Jennifer decided to head back to college following some soul-searching to learn to do what she had always wanted to—cook. So while teaching math in Savannah, she enrolled in Culinary Art School at Savannah Tech. That move has led to her now teaching nutrition and cooking classes part-time at Wellness Cottage for the young and old.
Jennifer began the cooking lessons with children’s classes and then more and more adults were asking for the same. Her classes always begin with a nutrition lesson before she allows the participants to perform “hands on” cooking. Her most popular dish to prepare is vegetable sushi, she said. She likes to experiment and try different recipes with various foods such as eggplant and squash.
She shies away from the use of any fatty oils and sugars opting to keep it as healthy as possible, light, and fresh. She very much remembers growing up eating with a “heavier” palate but as she got older just decided to make different choices to benefit her health in the long run. Now don’t get her wrong, she offers treat classes for her youth that include baking lessons and special goods like Beetlejuice slushies which will likely be on the menu soon.
Jennifer said she has been nicknamed “the transitioner” in cooking class because she helps those who would like to eat more plants and less meat do so and she deems herself a “food snob” because she wants to help people eat high quality foods.
When asked what her favorite foods to eat, Jennifer said broccoli and apples. Her favorite Savannah restaurant meal, as a native, is the crab legs at Fiddler’s and a must visit is The Vault.
When not growing or cooking vegetables, you might find Jennifer literally running around town for exercise. She got into running when her youngest told her she was interested in cross country, so mother and daughter started running together. On Tuesdays, Jennifer finds the time to volunteer at the local Food Bank and on Sundays you might find her performing in the handbell choir as a member of Monticello Presbyterian Church.
So if you ever encounter Jennifer about town whether she’s chaffeuring Carley, just having a run, or at the Food Bank—make some time to “dish” with her.
