Posted on June 23, 2023
Mary Free Bed Dietitian & GRCC Professor Competes on Food Network’s Chopped
Jenn Struik is a registered dietitian, personal chef and college professor. Now, she’s bringing her culinary skills to the national stage on the next episode of Food Network’s Chopped.
Chopped is a reality-based cooking television game show series in which four chefs face off to create delicious dishes out of mystery ingredients. The competition tests speed, skill and ingenuity in the kitchen. In its 54th season, the series debuted in 2009.
Jenn will be competing in the next nationally-televised episode, but she’s no stranger to Food Network. She’s a previous winner of the competition show, Supermarket Stakeout.
Born and raised in Grand Rapids, locals know Jenn for her personal chef services, Jenny with the Good Eats, and she’s also a culinary professor at Grand Rapids Community College’s Secchia Institute for Culinary Education. (Photo courtesy Food Network.)
Jenn also uses her expertise to support patients on their recovery journeys. As a registered dietitian at Mary Free Bed, she focuses on nutrition needs and education in the Inpatient Rehabilitation program.
Good nutrition fosters stronger, healthier recoveries – and Jenn knows this from personal experience. In November 2019, Jenn was in a car accident and sustained multiple injuries to her spine, ribs and legs. Having been through rehabilitation herself, she understands the effects diet has on well-being and healing.
“Working at Mary Free Bed, I see a lot of patients who have similar recoveries as me. As their dietitian, having a shared personal experience is incredibly helpful,” she recalls.
After her accident, Jenn questioned whether she would ever stand, cook or run again. But next week, we’ll be cheering her on as she whisks around the national cooking stage.
Watch Jenn compete on Food Network Tuesday, June 27, at 8 p.m. EST through your cable provider or Discovery+.
Read more details about Jenn’s culinary career and Food Network experience from our friends at:
- Grand Rapids Community College: My Story Started at GRCC
- WZZM 13: GRCC professor, Mary Free Bed dietician to appear on Chopped | wzzm13.com
- MLive: Michigan culinary professor to appear on Food Network’s ‘Chopped’ (mlive.com)
