Jordan Zucker - Author, "One Dish - Four Seasons: Food, Wine, and Sound - All Year Round"
Jordan Zucker
Jordan Zucker is an American actress, native New Yorker, Host, and Author of the new book One Dish - Four Seasons: Food, Wine and Sound - All Year Round.
Jordan rocked through four years of education to earn her undergraduate degree at The University of Pennsylvania. This doesn't mean she holds allegience to ALL of the NY sports teams (just NYY), but she doesn't hate any of them. It does mean that she takes on the Philadelphia sports teams as her "B" teams. And it also means that she gets an enormous amount of pride just by stepping foot in the city of Philadelphia, whether it be for a college friend's wedding, a stroll down memory lane, or a Phish concert at the Mann.
Jordan is bi-coastal, flying about the country with her little French Bulldog, Hula, on a monthly basis. Don't ask if she prefers LA to NY. Though she has a running list of each glorious city's advantages, she loves both for what they're worth.
Jordan was raised to appreciate food. However, her parents soon discovered that their efforts to mold a young sophisticated palate would backfire when little Jordan was able to recognize that her "chicken dinner" was in fact rabbit and subsequently refused to eat it. She worked on her "Junior 15" all throughout Europe during her seven months abroad. Confident that Hollywood would find her "real girl" (aka "anorexia is for sissies") persona fresh, new, and appealing, she promptly pocketed her Ivy League BA in Mathematics and dashed off across the country to be an actress. Multiple years, tears, and beers later, she landed the role of "Lisa the intern" on Scrubs. In the meantime, she honed her hosting skills by consistently throwing the best damn Passover seder west of the Mississippi, and learning how to be charming before noon.
As actors tend to find themselves "between jobs" with a deflated sense of purpose, Jordan decided to create her own "work" and combine different avenues of passion. She started Girls Guide to Fantasy Football in 2008 which has evolved into Girls Guide to Sports. Representing the modern female sports fan, she has dedicated herself to expanding the female sports fan base through organizing and encouraging participation in fantasy sports. As Commish, she is the ringleader and enthusiast, encouraging women to follow the games, trying to prove that the game is gender blind, and revolutionize the market so it's not just male driven. Not just leading by example, she creates content appealing to women's interest.
Besides catching her on a syndication of Scrubs, you can also look out for reruns on The Food Network. She's guest starred on an episode of "Grill It! with Bobby Flay." She writes about her adventures in dining, drinking, dating, and dancing on her Oxtails, Cocktails, and Rock Tales blog. Jordan is writing a cookbook with her mother, Betti, (which sometimes translates to: she's writing a cookbook,) called One Dish, Four Seasons - A Recipe Trifecta. When Jordan’s not paving the way as the vanguard for the modern female sports fan through her Girls Guide to Sports brand, she's probably smuggling a favorite wine into a favorite band's concert.
I’m so excited for you guys to connect with Jordan, check out her work and new cookbook, and follow along as she continues to mix it up in the kitchen and keep us laughing while she’s doing it!
I'd love it if you'd introduce yourself, what you do, and what you're working on.
Hi, I’m Jordan Zucker. I’m an entertainer (writer, actor, host, cook). I am about to publish my first book - a cookbook, but not JUST a cookbook, a food/wine/music/lifestyle/comedy/family/photography book called One Dish - Four Seasons: Food, Wine, and Sound - All Year Round. I also run Girls Guide to Sports as the ringleader of the modern female sports fan, encouraging women to harness their inner sports fan. I educate, empower, engage, and entertain through content creation, events, and fantasy sports.
How did you get started?
No idea. I must have woken up one day and put it all together. No, that can’t be right. Girls Guide started with just an all girls fantasy fooball league. None of us played and we wanted to learn together. So I put together a league to see how it would go. The excitement of all of us grasping a new hobby so was intriguing, it led me to want to offer that on a broader community. So I started Girls Guide as a blog and it blossomed from there. I incorporated cooking for sports in there. I’ve always loved to cook and entertain, a skill and passion I inherited from my mother. She had the idea of the one dish four ways for each season so we started testing recipes and I took it from there.
What inspired the work that you're doing?
I think food is a timeless topic. We will always need it and it will never go out of style, though some techniques and trends may seem dated. Eating is an art and art forms capture and define times.
What is your biggest passion? Do you feel like you're living your passion and purpose?
For sure! Food, Wine, Music, Sports, Bulldogs! I’m an extrovert and am my best self when in celebration mode. Indulge your passions!
What is your joy blueprint? What lights you up, brings you joy, and makes you feel the most alive?
Shared moments, human connection, new experiences, laughing in inappropriate places at inappropriate times, cruising down a ski slope, floating deep in a scuba dive, tasting local cuisine all over the world, cuddling with my dog, and rocking out at a concert.
How do you live intentionally? Are there tools/resources/practices that you rely on to help you stay mindful and grounded?
I’m a now person. I try not to worry about the future or harp on the past. It’s a challenge but it’s doable. I try to live honestly and authentically. I’m reliable/dependable. I’m true to my word. And then I try to throw a joke in when it’s getting to intense or serious. I definitely use humor as a crutch. I find success in making someone laugh.
What would your younger self think about what you're doing now?
My younger self would be surprised I’m so girly. I don’t think I wore pink until I turned 30 and I wouldn’t have dreamed of putting my dog in clothes. She’d be disappointed she’d still be single. But she’d be super proud she’d be a vanguard, a pioneer, a leader, and a creative resource.
Do you have a go-to mantra or affirmation?
I currently have a Henry Miller quote that’s been resonating with me most. “Let us do our best. Even if it gets us nowhere."
What is your biggest dream?
Fall in love and have a baby. Revolutionize and represent the female sports fan base on a more global level.
To learn more about Jordan and her new cookbook you can connect with her on her website www.jordanzucker.com and www.onedishfourseasons.com and on Instagram @jordzuck @girlsguidetosports and on Twitter @jordzuck
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