Rumor Control! Word on the street was that 918 Orange Avenue would soon have a jam shop opening up in place of the Coronado Pharmacy. However, after I sat down with the alleged “owner” of this so-called shop, Kathryn Jennings, this rumor was dispelled. In fact, no one was more surprised to hear that she was going to open up a store than Mrs. Jennings herself. She informed me that it would be great, but she wasn’t planning on doing so.
Jennings and her family came to Coronado with the military. He father was sent here during the summer of 1976 and Kathryn started schooling here as a freshman at Coronado High School. She had a very memorable childhood and in her opinion she had it all; living close to the school, biking everywhere, and going to the beach all the time. Kathryn Jennings shared with me that in her childhood “there was nothing to complain about!”
Mrs. Jennings first tried the mango-jalapeño jam concoction at age 19 in Texas and fell in love with it and wanted to learn how to make it. That is not a typo, mango-jalapeño jam is real! Since then, she has been perfecting her own recipe and selling it to faithful costumers.
She had to have her friends try her exotic jam once she discovered how to make it and they adored it. Then she started giving her culinary creation as gifts to friends and family. Her hobby started growing into something more after all the positive feedback. This lead to Mrs. Kathryn selling her spicy condiment at several different farmers’ markets including Coronado’s very own “Artisan’s Alley”.
After selling eight entire cases of her jarred gold at the holiday bazaar, “Artisan’s Alley”, Kathryn thought it was time to get a certified license and an official commercial kitchen to formally make her jams. She now sells habanero, mango-jalapeño, and raspberry-jalapeño jams year-round. There are also a few seasonal jams such as cranberry-jalapeño.
If you still can’t digest the idea of a spicy jam, go to Taste of Oils on Orange Avenue and buy yourself a jar. Kathryn suggests serving this sweet and salty mixture on top of a cracker with some cream cheese for a balanced taste. This vegan jam is also a great way to spice up meat or fish!
While talking about the mouth-watering jam combinations Mrs. Jennings makes and sells on the island, it was clear that the vacant shop next to Burger Lounge will not be selling her tasty goods. So I asked what she would like to go in that open and she said, “Coronado is in need of a gourmet deli, almost like Dean and Deluca.”
If you can’t take a trip to Coronado Taste of Oils, you can also order your own batch of jalapeño jam at: http://www.facebook.com/scratchgourmet
Bianca Valle
Online Editorial Intern
eCoronado.com
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