Founder of 3 Small Plates Catering reflects on her roots, her journey as a Black woman chef, and what she hopes to pass on to the next generation

Words by Grace Hurley

Photos by Chef Jen Rodriguez

AUSTIN, TX — For Chef Jen D. Rodriguez, owner of 3 Small Plates Catering, the foundation of her culinary journey began long before she stepped into a professional kitchen — it began in her grandmother’s home.

“I spent a lot of time with her, and I would just watch and see what she did,” Rodriguez said. “I just loved being there and watching her take a little of nothing and make something out of it.”

That early exposure to food as both sustenance and storytelling sparked a lifelong passion. Today, Rodriguez brings that same spirit to her clients across Austin, curating small-plate experiences that blend tradition, personal history and global influence.

While her heritage is rooted in Southern soul food, Rodriguez said she made a conscious choice to explore beyond those boundaries.  

“Of course, we’re gonna cook Southern soul food — I love that food — but I was like, ‘Everybody’s cooking that food. I wanna be different,’” Rodriguez said. 

That desire to push beyond expectations shaped the signature style of 3 Small Plates Catering. Her menus, often inspired by global ingredients and conversations with fellow food lovers, are designed to bring people together through shared experience.

“I learned different recipes from talking to different people,” she said. “Everybody cooks with similar ingredients and different ways to interpret their own culture. The best conversations begin at a dining room table. You may not know each other, but if we’re all eating, after a while we just all start talking. You can have any nationality at that table and everybody will start talking to each other — then we’ll learn each other’s cultures.”

Rodriguez’s own travels have also played a key role in shaping her culinary voice. A trip to Spain, for example, left a lasting impression.  

“I went to Spain with Crisco, but I came back with olive oil and garlic,” she said. 

But forging her own path in the culinary world hasn’t been without obstacles. As a Black woman entrepreneur, Rodriguez has faced unique challenges — from breaking into industry networks to carving out space in an often exclusive field.

Still, she’s navigated it all with persistence and perspective.  

“Your network is most important,” Rodriguez said. “Read everything, talk to everybody and gather as much information as possible. But remember, you have the right to decipher what you want to use and what you don’t want to use.”

Rodriguez encourages aspiring women of color in the culinary arts to balance openness with discernment.  

“Figure out something that people enjoy and adjust it to make it more yours,” she said. “Your commitment is to go after it and absorb as much as possible, but you don’t have to accept everything you absorb. You have the right to say, ‘I’ve outgrown this,’ and now it’s time to move to the next level.”

Her success and commitment to sharing knowledge were recognized in 2024 when she was selected for a fellowship through the Junior League of Austin’s Austin Entertains program — a milestone that helped expand her impact.  

“[The fellowship] helped me to initiate our cooking classes and it helped to purchase a lot of the cooking equipment [needed for them],” Rodriguez said.

For Rodriguez, those classes are about more than technique — they’re about empowerment and legacy.

“I think if I limited myself only to where I originated from, I would be limiting the story I have to tell,” Rodriguez said. “and I’d be limiting the food I would create, because it’s going to come out in me.”