Interview with America's Sweethart Jenny Cross!

Not to long ago, I was watching the Food Network as I always do and I came across a new show called "America's Worst Cooks". Not one for Reality shows even of the Food Variety, something made or should I say "someone" made me stop and take notice. This person was Jenny Cross, she stood out like a diamond in the rough. Amongst the chaos of competing she looked like a pinup queen of an era gone by, however she might knock your lights out if you piss her off, but at least she'll do it in a cocktail dress and a wink in her eye! She was the sole reason I watched the show, every week I would keep my fingers crossed that she would make it to the next round. Though Jenny did not win the competition, she did however win the hearts of many viewers. Jenny has shown that when life hands you lemons, you throw them right back! Jenny is an inspiration to all girls that think their dreams are unattainable, she proves that if your passion is strong enough that nothing can stand in your way. 

When Jenny and I got in touch with each other, it was an instant connection of two gals that have a passion for food and all things vintage and allot of humor thrown in for good measure, with that combination how can you go wrong! 

It is with great pleasure, that I am announcing Jenny Cross as our official Cupcake Provocateur Spokesmodel! Below are images from our photo shoot with Jenny modeling our aprons and cupcakes, last month at Sweet Mama's Kitchen in Northport, NY (little fact, they have the best stuffed French Toast)! With special thanks to Melanie of www.licaphoto.com for the wonderful photos. 

So lets get to know Jenny a little better and welcome her the the Cupcake Provocateur family........ 

Jenny Modeling The Betty Apron - Leopard Lounge

Jenny Cross Short Bio:

  The last moment I was ever seen on TV, I was sobbing over not winning Food

Network's "Worst Cooks in America. That was me not too long ago, but the sad

pinup you once saw is just a distant memory. When it was announced, I felt

as if my entire world crumbled, that something that I had worked so hard for

was taken from me in a split second. But, something happened when Worst

Cooks  aired, that took me completely by surprise. It was no secret that I

came from a troubled past, and even on the show I wasn't in a stable place.

I was expecting viewers to see that and dislike me, but what America saw was

a young girl that was driven to give herself better by chasing her dream. I

had failed to realize that even though I didn't win, I still learned so much

about cooking, and had been given the opportunity of a lifetime. I began to

learn about the restaurant industry hands on by working in various kitchens

then, going into business for myself as a Personal Chef/Caterer. One of the

unique abilities I've learned is to take a meal that would typically be

considered "junk food" and by substituting a few ingredients, I'd serve a

health conscious meal while keeping all the flavor. While I support a

healthy lifestyle, cooking with restrictions..... isn't really my style.

Although I look great in a chef coat, my hair flowers and fishnets were

collecting dust.  This is why I am so honored to announce that I, Jenny

Cross, will be Cupcake Provocateurs spokesmodel. Cupcake Provocateur and

myself, are a match made in retro glam heaven! With the adorable aprons,

delicious cupcakes, and an arsonal of housewares that would make any chore

fabulous, I cannot be prouder to represent such a wonderful company. Cynthia

Lagudi, has captured everything I love about the traditional 50's housewife,

and created an ideal way to bring those values back into the everyday lives

of modern women with her Pinup couture. Not only have I personally worn them

for cooking and non cooking purposes...but I find myself truly enjoying the

experience of just wearing the flirty aprons. With the strings tied in the

perfect bow, and a fresh coat of red lipstick, I'm in the kitchen cooking up

my next culinary triumph.I will be featured at many different events serving

up all my favorite comfort food and proving that I'm NOT the worst cook

anymore in Cupcake Provocateur's sassy aprons.

Food Network Press Shot

How has life changed since the airing of America?s Worst Cooks?

Since the show, my life has been a quick u turn for the better! I vowed to 

myself (even though I didn't win) that I would never carry a tray again, so I 

began working as a chef in different restaurants around Philly to learn more 

about the culinary industry. Soon I learned that maybe a restaurant chef 

wasn't the best option because I really wanted to explore my own talents. I 

wanted to see what I can do as well as experience what diners feel when they 

taste my cooking. Being that I had so many family,friends, and fans wanting 

me to prove that I wasn't a worst cook anymore, I decided to start charging! 

Then I went into business working as a personal chef/caterer to not just 

only bring some tasty food, but a rockin good time as well! I developed an 

eclectic mix of clientele, one being the owner of a prestigious antique shop 

in Philadelphia. I absolutely loved working for the family as well as in the 

antique shop. I just loved being around so many beautiful pieces of art and 

history. With my love of all things vintage and my strong work ethic, the 

owner gave me full control over his 2nd store called The Annex. Not only do 

I sell antiques, but I sell vintage clothing, jewelry, hats, and furniture, 

that I've personally picked out. Even though I manage the store, I still 

cook, and soon I will be selling Pirate Jenny junk food out of the store as 

well. 

What was the most important thing you learned about yourself during and 

since the show?

That's a GOOD question! Before the show aired, I thought I was going to be 

the most HATED cast member. The one that everyone wanted to vote off haha! 

Afterwards I saw that I had the most unexpected fans like, a soccer mom and 

her teen princess daughter. Now, here I am, tattooed, rockabilly,rebel type 

young girl, aka any mother's worst nightmare, and I have the soon to be prom 

queen and her mother gushing to me that I'm their favorite person from the 

show. It really amazed me the fact that viewers saw past my look, and saw 

someone who would do anything to pursue her dreams. I never thought people 

saw that in me, nor did I even realize that in myself. I learned that people 

DO see that there is allot more to me than the way I look, and I needed to 

truly give myself credit for that. Truly learning that looking a certain way 

doesn't make you what you are on the inside, but its what you do in this 

life and always putting your best foot forward. When I realized that my 

image, was just that, I started to feel a lot more confident about myself 

and my own talents in the kitchen. If I can rock a pompadour and fishnets 

while making a chocolate torte for the social elite of Philadelphia, and 

have them praise me for it, then there's nothing stopping me from cooking 

for the queen of England! I'm proud of the fact that I am an individual, and 

that all types of people praise me for what I can do. I just so happen to do 

it with style! 

One thing I admire about you the most, is your strength to prevail through 

some tough situations, just like a modern day Cinderella.... How do you stay 

so strong and what advice can you give to girls and women who are currently 

trying to reach their goals?

You pegged me completely on that one! Like Langsthon Hughes once said "Life 

ain't been no crystal stair", it has been very much that way for me. I've 

had a rough past and it continued to be rocky up until the show aired. I've 

always identified myself very much with Cinderella, growing up and 

currently. I look at the opportunity that Worst Cooks gave me as almost my 

fairy godmother casting a temporary magic spell, and now I had to find a way 

to make my dreams come true. I had all the skills I needed, all I needed to 

do was realize that my goals were allot closer than I imagined. Now 

opportunities like this doesn't happen to everyone, but I stayed true to 

myself and what I wanted. The fire I had to win couldn't compare to the 

blazing inferno I had to learning everything I could about cooking. The 

burning desire to be a the best chef I can be, has kept me strong Believing 

in yourself, and always doing your best, is what helped me move away from my 

past and on to my future success. I am still working very hard to be the 

next Julia Childs, but I don't forget who I am and where I came from. The 

name, Pirate Jenny is actually, a song from the Three Penny opera, about a 

pirate queen turned Inn slave, that ends up showing her captors what she 

REALLY can do after years of neglect. Kind of like a darker Cinderella, kind 

of like...me! I'm not what you expect when you think of Cinderella, but more 

of a Pirate Jenny! HAHA! Just a little saltier than the blonde haired sugary 

princess! 

No matter what life throws at me, I always keep a smile on my face and try 

my hardest, because when everything's said and done, if the worst thing 

people can say is "I don't like her hair", then you're doing pretty good! 

Food Network Press Shot

I heard through the grapevine that you have always had a desire too become a 

professional chef, what are your current goals and happenings for the future 

Chef Jenny? 

Hmmm.... professional sounds a little serious to me and I don't think its 

my flavor. I've never wanted to be a master chef, or earn a Michelin Star, 

but to truly be an artist with food. The reason I want to be a chef more 

than anything is because food is art for all of your senses. Its easy to 

remember the last best meal you've ever eaten not only for the taste, but 

for the memory it gave you. Same thing goes for a bad meal as well. Good or, 

bad, food makes you feel, its one of the strongest senses of memory that we 

have. I find that the food I enjoy making the most is homestyle classics 

with a modern twist. Taking the junk food and family dinners that we all 

loved as children and creating your wildest food fantasy! If you're going to 

chow down on junk food, it'd better be worth it! So by taking the best 

ingredients to make the most delicious snack food and allowing the diner to 

make it EXACTLY what they're craving but only could make in solitude. I want 

my food to reflect who I am as a person; unique,bold and a glimpse into a 

time once passed. The culmination of everything that I love about cooking 

and food is reflected in "Pirate Jenny's Pogey Bait and Home Cookin". 

Unusual comfort food that you can customize or have catered to your event. I 

plan to have the website with menus to place orders soon, but still a few 

more bugs to work out. If you can't wait to try Pirate Jenny's, I will be at 

food events handing out samples and featuring the menu along with my 

personal chef services.

Jenny serving Cupcake Provocateur cupcakes to real customers :)

We all know Jenny Cross is sugar and spice and everything nice but lets dig 

deeper....If Jenny Cross was a recipe...what ingredients would be used to 

make her? 

I want to say piss and vinegar but, that's not very nice. I would say 

that I'm all the aspects of a deep fried Snickers. I would say I'm 

sweet,decadent, and romantic like the chocolate on the outside. But, once 

you take a bite you get the salty,hard crunch of the peanuts thats bonded by 

the tough chewiness of the caramel but with a soft nougat center. Great by 

itself, but being that I have to push everything almost to the point of 

ridiculous, it needs to be dunked in a heavy batter and cooked in fat. Kind 

of like how I wrap myself in leopard print faux fur with my teased up hair 

and looking just trashy enough to be intriguing. I'm like a familiar guilty 

pleasure but a guilty pleasure is still a pleasure. Once the batter crisps, 

all those ingredients come together in such a spectacular way that you can't 

believe you're liking something this bad so much. Such as myself, on sight 

you may expect the worst, but give me a chance and you'll end up liking more 

than you realized. 

Jenny wearing The Artisan Chef Apron - Sugar Skulls

If we were able to read your planner... what is an average day like for 

Jenny Cross?

Average day? What?s that? HAHA! Not in my vocabulary!

Who or what inspires you the most?

It may sound harsh but, my biggest inspiration is all the people who said I 

would never work in the culinary industry and proving them wrong. Everyone 

who underestimates my determination, and tries to bring me down, only 

inspires me to try harder. "Live to Fight" is tattooed on my arm for a GOOD 

reason!

Tell us a little something that people may not know about you?

Something you may not know was that I was a Girl Scout for 10 years! I often 

ask myself, "where did it all go wrong?" HAHA!

Thank you for taking the time to Interview with me and becoming the Cupcake 

Provocateur Ambassador :)......., any last words?

Like Carey Grant said " I think this is the start of a beautiful 

friendship". I can't wait to see what we're going to create together being 

it in the form of success,sweets, or smiles! XOXO 

Thanks again Jenny, you are a truly special person and just like an m&m you may have a hard candy shell but your nothing but sweet on the inside! May you always have continued success and happiness!