Dining and Restaurant Search

Fine Foods Marketplace, Café and Catering

Just stepping into Jennifer’s Kitchen at the corner of Highway 111 at Peterson reminds you of California’s wine country and the bounty of good food for which our state is known. Jennifer Johnson, a native of Southern California, brings a wealth of talent, knowledge and passion to her Rancho Mirage café-marketplace. She was first known around the desert for her sumptuous catering talents before opening the café and marketplace in 2006.

Johnson seems to know instinctively what we want to eat. Her shelves, tables, deli case, freezer, and refrigerator cases are brimming with delightful, delectable morsels. Find an assortment of oils, vinegars, salts, glazes, dips, spreads, dried pastas, and gourmet sauces, chocolates, syrups, jellies, and jams all tantalizingly displayed about the store.

Order specialty sandwiches and salads in the café where the deli case is chock full of cheeses, salamis, olives, Greek garden, chicken and pasta salads, dolmas, and other surprises that change daily. Jennifer’s specializes in gourmet take out with such tempting frozen entrées as osso buco, jambalaya, chicken cacciatore, her famous turkey lasagna bolognese, seafood pot pie, baked penne casseroles, and Catalan braised lamb shank stew over cous cous. Hostess and gift baskets are custom designed for any occasion.

Racks of wines from all over the world line the floor and stack the center of the marketplace with a dizzying array of choices. A mural depicting a California-Tuscan wine country landscape by Orange County artist Connie King is a focal point upon entering the store. Graciously appointed with stacked stone walls, marble topped counters, large wood display tables, wood and metal racks, comfortable café seating and delicate lace curtains make Jennifer’s Kitchen warm and welcoming.

The café and marketplace is open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays until 5 p.m. Take-out hors d’oeuvres trays are available with a 48-hour notice, and full catering and party planning services are a specialty.

“Life is a banquet and Jennifer’s Kitchen celebrates every tasty moment.”

Text by Pamela Bieri