Jennifer Justus writes about food and life for The Tennessean. Raised at the table of a Southern meat-and-three, Jennifer later received her formal food training at Boston University where she created her own food writing curriculum with courses in both Journalism and Gastronomy, a cultural study of food founded by Julia Child and Jacques Pepin.



Prior to journalism, Jennifer worked in qualitative research studying the emotinoal connections we make with food. She spent hours in the kitchens of home cooks examining the reasons behind the comfort in a pot of chili. And for clients such as Pizza Hut, she's conducted deprivation studies with teenagers across the country to understand the cravings associated with a simple slice of pepperoni pie.



Jennifer has written for Southern Living, Food Network magzine, the Boston Herald and Boston Globe, among other publications. She also blogs at A Nasty Bite, an expression her grandmother gave to a simple meal.