Photography by Sasha Israel 

“I EAT REALLY CLEAN,” SAYS THE JEWELRY DESIGNER-TURNED-LIFESTYLE GURU JENNIFER FISHER AT HER FLAGSHIP ATELIER IN MANHATTAN. “I cook most of my own food, which is a huge thing.” Indeed, in addition to her rabidly loyal customers and social media followers–224K to be exact–that covet her gilded baubles and cool charms, Fisher has earned a new dedicated fan base thanks to her inspired dishes that attract fashion-philes and foodies alike. Case in point: her drool-inducing poached egg avocado toasts, morning waffles and spitfire supermarket runs that she posts on the daily. “People don’t believe that I make everything and then actually eat it,” laughs Fisher, who began cooking for herself after discovering she had thyroid disease 17 years ago. It’s fitting that after years of healing herself through food that Fisher has become a whiz in the kitchen–she even launched a new section on her website dubbed JF Kitchen devoted to her healthy-but-quick recipes. “I realized my body doesn’t metabolize meat and sugar,” she explains. “Now if I have sweets, its good dark chocolate. It’s not crap.” The result? She’s introduced a new culinary vernacular through the lens of fashion. (On her Instagram feed, you’re just as likely to find a shot of Pierre Hardy metallic booties as you are a bowl of gluten-free carbonara.) Just call her the Snapchat generation’s Barefoot, er, Balenciaga-heeled Contessa. Between bites of her favorite quinoa salad (recipe below), the ever-forthright fashion plate talks late night Whole Foods runs, colonics and how to eat clean at Mr. Chow’s.


Take us through your normal day of meals.
I wake up and have a French Press coffee immediately. I’ll use almond milk and Truvia or sometimes a monkfruit sweetener. I try to eat things that aren’t packaged as often as I can. I’ll make the kids waffles and then I’ll either poach or fry an egg and make an avocado toast breakfast with seeded bread. If I don’t have protein in the morning, I get really tired by 11am. I’ll make Kevin his KF Special, which is Colby jack cheese, fried egg, avocado and peppers. I always eat breakfast. If I go to Sant Ambroeus, it’s always the avocado toast with poached eggs, everything gluten-free. For lunch, here at the showroom we’ll get lentil soup from Liquiteria, Eva’s, byChloe or Sweetgreen. I’m not a huge snacker.

I cook dinner at home as often as I can. Even if I have a work dinner, I’ll try not to eat too much and wait until I get home. Taco night is a religion at my house and ribs! I get antibiotic-free baby back ribs from Greensbury Market and I’ll use my universal salt as a rub, the kids love them. I marinade them in some adobo sauce and broil them.

I’ll do a lot of eggs for dinner and I don’t have high cholesterol! If I can, I get my eggs from [designer] Wes Gordon. Wes and Paul [Arnhold] have their own organic farm called Thistledown Farm, and they raise chickens. His eggs are so effing good. I won’t tell you who, but I have this exchange with someone from Vogue; she gives me eggs and I give her avocados from my dad’s tree in California. My parents ship me avocados and Meyer lemons every week. We’ve been calling it Fashion Farmshare.

What your biggest indulgence?
Well, I do eat out at Mr. Chow’s about three nights a week.

We heard that you’re famous there. What’s the Jenn Fisher Mr. Chow’s order.
We’ve gone there for so long that I have my table and the staff there is like family. It’s like Cheers. My kids take reservations on the phone. The trick is to order everything with MSG allergy and low-sodium. Since everything is made fresh and made to order, you can. Most of their stuff, their dumplings and sauces have MSG, so you have to be careful. My order is tofu salad; seaweed no walnuts, Kevin gets the squab lettuce wraps, I like the vegetarian ones. I order the crispy duck and the nine-season prawns but I’ll get them with lettuce wraps and I’ll do scallion and cucumber and make little shrimp lettuce wraps. I like the green prawns and I do eat the chicken satay. They know how to do it. And no one knows to order the Magic Mushroom Rice- it’s the best thing there.

What’s your favorite cheat meal?
My guilty pleasure is going on the weekends and walking the aisles of Whole Foods to find the best random shit. I’ll either go really early on a Sunday while everyone sleeps in or really late on a Friday night and I’ll find the best frozen pizzas. I keep gluten-free pizzas in the freezer for nights when I come home trashed and need a slice, so I don’t wind up at the guy on the corner. We used to have this amazing pizza place right on the corner that had the best eggplant parm slice. My husband’s like, “Jen, you lost 10 pounds because the pizza place fucking closed.”

What do you drink?
Straight vodka made with Tito’s. My dog is named after it.

We just wrapped New York Fashion Week. How do you stay nourished and healthy during that time?
Eat. The problem with Fashion Week is that you’re going, going, going and not eating. I always make sure to take a break and eat. Not a bar. A real meal. There are so many parties with champagne, cocktails and shitty food you don’t want to eat. At night, I try to go home to see the kids and make dinner. Sometimes I’ll prep dinner in the morning and then come back and finish up at night.

You are constantly traveling; what’s your secret to staying healthy on the go?
Don’t eat the airplane food. Ever. I’ll pack my own food. For some reason, on flights, I feel like I have to eat carbs. I’ll make an avocado toast sandwich situation with The Gluten Free Bakery bread, which you can get at the Union Square Greenmarket; they even have it on Fresh Direct now. ‘Seedy’ is my favorite flavor. I just went to Hong Kong so I made two of those sandwiches. And I’m obsessed with roasted broad beans. Enlightened Snacks makes these sriracha broad beans– they’re dried, flavored beans. And I always buy extra water once I get through security. Water water water, lemon lemon lemon on the plane.

Travel must-haves?
I pack all of my travel-sized beauty products from Tatcha, and my favorite eye cream for the plane is Clinique Pep-Start, it really works. Kate Somerville makes a really great goat milk one, its like a chapstick.

You’re always posting beauty products on Snapchat. What are your top three?
I’m a total beauty product junkie. My top three that I use: La Prairie Ice Crystal Cream– I open the jar and I’m ten years younger every time I use it. Kate Somerville Exfoliating Treatment, and Lancer makes a really great micro bead scrub. I love Glossier Balm Dotcom, every flavor.

Facialist?
Joanna Vargas and I go to Dr. Pat Wexler. I inject my face with everything.

So you mentioned that you’re taking a break from working out. Why?
I hate working out. I just eat really well…and I get colonics.

What did you used to do?
I did Soul Cycle for years, Body by Simone. Throughout my pregnancies I did yoga with Leslie Harris. And I recently did Tracy Anderson streaming in my bedroom. But I just don’t have the time and I hate working out.

What are your favorite restaurants in New York?
One of my favorite things on a summer night is oysters and martinis and we’re friends with the chef at Lure, so we’ll go there a lot. I also love Mediterranean, so Milos makes a good fresh fish. Or for down and dirty, a burger from Five Guys.

Your last editor’s gift was a huge hit. What will your next editor gift be?
My Sriracha salt. They get so many sweets and crap and they’re stuck at their desks working all da, and they’re hungry! So I thought about what I can do that they’ll appreciate. Last year I did two avocados, a lemon, harissa oil, and my universal salt. They were all like, “Oh my god, you killed it, thank you.” The last thing they want is a chocolate bar with somebody’s logo on it.

What are your major pantry essentials?
Frankie’s olive oil. I make my own garlic salt blend. I’ll order dried herbs in bulk: organic cilantro, dill, parsley. Fresh herbs, too: cilantro, dill, chives. Clam juice (for mussels and clams), garlic butter, 365  Caesar dressing, lemons, limes, garbanzo beans, tomato paste, chicken broth, rice noodles and rice wrappers, kidney beans, white beans and gluten-free pickled jalapeños.

Do you do any self-care treatments like massages?
I started getting colonics. They changed my life. Ever since I started doing it, I’ve just naturally been drawn toward foods that make me feel better. I go to Fluid. You can also get vitamin shots and IV-drips there.

What inspired you to get a colonic?
I was not feeling well about six months ago. I kept waking up and saying to my husband, “I feel like something’s wrong with me. I feel really full and it hurts.” I went and it changed my life. Now I go once a week if I can. I feel much better if I do.

How has it changed your life?
My skin has changed. I saw someone last night who asked, “What are you doing?” This is what I’m doing. Normally we walk around with 22 pounds in your colon. I fully believe its because I’m not literally not full of shit.


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Jennifer’s Quinoa Salad with Grilled Shrimp

1 cup tricolor quinoa 
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup white onion chopped fine
1 tbs harissa oil (or any oil for sautéing the onion)
1 head napa cabbage
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 jalapeño pepper, deseeded and diced small
1/4 cup red pepper diced small
1/4 yellow or orange pepper diced small
2 cans organic garbanzo beans drained
2 handfuls of chopped cilantro
1 avocado, chopped

1 pound grilled shrimp
2 heads romaine
1 cup crumbled cotija cheese

Olive Oil
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Sea Salt
Black Pepper

Instructions

In a small saucepan, sauté the white onion in the harissa oil until soft.

Add the chicken stock to the quinoa and bring to the boil, cover and simmer low for 15 minutes.

When cooked, transfer the quinoa to a bowl and let cool on the counter. If you are in a rush transfer the quinoa to a parchment lined baking sheet and cool in the fridge for 15 minutes, this will speed up the cooling process.

Rinse and finely chop the cabbage and romaine about ¾ of the way down. Add to a large mixing bowl.

Add drained garbanzo beans,onion, jalapeño and peppers. Mix to combine.

Add cooled quinoa, avocado and cheese and mix again.

Add dressing* and toss. Top with grilled shrimp.

Season to taste.

*For dressing, combine 1/2 cup of olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder and 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder.

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