"A Gardener's Kitchen" Grows From Bowl Of Sour Cream

With a love for food and gardening, longtme Montclair resident Jane Yagoda usually can be found at the cutting board or planning another raised bed. Like most passionate cooks, her appreciation for good food started when she was a child, playing in her Miami backyard eating sour cream and bananas.

From sunny Florida she went to photography school in Santa Barbara, where she fell in love with farmers markets. Eventually her beloved bananas and sour cream graduated to crème fraiche and tart tartin while attending La Varenne cooking school in Paris. 

When she was laid off from a job in marketing in December 2010, she decided to launch her new business. A Gardener's Kitchen sells everything from granola to biscotti to heavenly spiced almonds! Find out more by going here.

Patch recently asked Yagoda a few questions about her background, her business, and her favorite places in Montclair.

Q) So tell us a bit about your background.. what prompted you to start A Gardener's Kitchen?

 A) Like many entrepreneurs today my business is a result of being laid off. For me that happened in December 2010. I have been in the food world from the time I was a teen. I grew up in Miami and my dad owned a KFC. At that time franchisees ran their stores as they saw best and everything was made from scratch. I was 14 and slinging the original crispy chicken and sipping cafe con leche. I loved working at the store. The Colonel actual came to the store! My professional background includes culinary school in Paris, food styling, recipe development, food editing and marketing. After losing my marketing job I found myself back in the kitchen and never too far from gardening.

Q) How long have you lived in Montclair and what shops/restaurants are your favorites?

A) I have been in Montclair for 16 years. Yikes.. that sounds so ancient. I'm a transplant from Park Slope Brooklyn. My favorite shops/restaurants are Le Salbuen, Gina's Bakery,, route: {:controller=>"listings", :action=>"show", :id=>"ginas-bakery"} --> ,  , Atelier 4, and