Jess Eng

I’ve been writing professionally about food since 2020, but I’ve been immersed in culinary conversations for as long as I can remember. In my first food assignment ever, I recreated the world's oldest recorded soups and stews from Mesopotamia. That magical, pitifully unsalted broth must have worked wonders because I’m still writing about the origins and science of food today.

Before joining Serious Eats, I covered stories that crisscrossed the country: Houston pit masters shaping Viet-Tex BBQ, Chifa restaurateurs reconnecting with Chinese and Latino roots in Los Angeles, and Sherpa chefs carving out community in the mountains of Colorado. These features and recipes have appeared in The Washington Post, The New York Times, Eater, Taste, NPR, and more.

In between stories, I’ve worked in marketing and production at the country's first makgeolli brewery, filmed videos for a chili crisp company, and worked on the line at Brooklyn wine bars. I once considered a career in data graphics and design but writing always found a way back in. These days, I teach fermentation classes around the city, where I'll likely talk your ear off about a project I swear is almost ready.

I graduated from Harvard University, where I majored in Statistics and Folklore and Mythology. I wrote my thesis on how the evolving practice and art of food plating, which means I was measuring my food (read: playing with my food) far too many times.