Jewels and Jill: Jennifer Aniston eats only their salmon

 

Sister chefs think of themselves as nurturers to the stars, offering comfort through delicious, light dishes; » recipes | Halloumi Cheese wi th cucumber-lentil salad; celery soup, F2

 
By Mia Sta Insby, Vancouver Sun September 29, 2010 1:14 AM
 
 
Private chefs to Hollywood's A-listers, you'd think, tip-toe on landmines of megalomania.
Not so with Jewels and Jill Elmore. It's a mutual admiration thing.
The sisters were recently in Vancouver, promoting The Family Chef, a cookbook of recipes developed for stars like Jennifer Aniston (and Brad Pitt, before his Angelina days). They have also worked for the John Travolta/Kelly Preston household and with caterer to the stars, Wolfgang Puck.
Since the sisters both have a child, they share the job of cooking for Aniston, whom they call a "sweet, sweet person and so appreciative." Jewels has been Aniston's private chef for seven years and is discreet about her famous client. "The thing about her that's so great is, she's an example of what a really healthy lifestyle looks like. She does all those things that you and I might want to do. She does them. She treats herself once in a while and exercises every day," says Jewels.
Aniston loves their cold celery soup and they make extra. They cook at Aniston's five days a week, but are responsible for all her food.
"The culinarily challenged period of my life, which I like to refer to as 'B. J.: Before Jewels', wasn't pretty, people!" Aniston writes in the foreword to The Family Chef. "Jewels changed the way I see a kitchen from a place to store PowerBars (my once-upon-a-time alternative to all food groups!) to a sanctuary that has become the most important room in the house, filled with sights and smells that are themselves a feast.
"She [Jewels] was the only person who could get me to taste salmon. And now I beg her to make it and I can't eat salmon anywhere else because it never tastes like hers. She is a flavour artist."
The sisters like to think of themselves as nurturers. "We're kind of like the mamas," says Jewels. (Make that hot mamas.) "They go through a lot and we can offer comfort and nurturing through food. That's what's so great about being a private chef. It's great being able to see when people need more energy or when they're working on a film, helping to make them feel lighter and healthy."
The codependent sisters say Jill is grounded and practical while Jewels gets caught up with creating and forgets about the practical aspects. "We're each other's biggest fans, though, and we have each other's backs," Jill says.
You'll find more on the sisters at www.jewelsandjill.com.