Who’s Hungry? Jaymee Sire Shares Her Recipes for Overcoming Adversity & Living Joyfully

On this week’s episode of Black and Gold Rush, Rachel Jones talks to Jaymee Sire. Jaymee’s journey began in Great Falls, Montana, then hit a speed bump with a very public layoff from ESPN in 2017. But she mastered the art of the pivot.

First Jaymee dishes on sports journalism and her obsession with cooking, then how she almost didn’t take her job offer with ESPN. You’ll see how creativity, passion and determination helped fuel her pivot to food television and hosting the Food Network Obsessed podcast. Stay tuned until the end for some powerful advice for going through a layoff or any hard time!

Jaymee also tells the story of when she first met Bobby Flay - an ESPN “Car Wash” segment. She was always the point person for cooking-related interviews, and she simply asked to be a guest on “Beat Bobby Flay.” Her first appearance on Food Network didn’t air until after her layoff from ESPN, but her next career steps were already in motion - cue Iron Chef Showdown. Now you can find Jaymee hosting Food Network Obsessed on Fridays, doing live cooking classes on the Food Network Kitchen app, and much more! We’ll also dive into Jaymee’s dream food day (24:19) and her favorite New Orleans foods (29:15) - bell peppers not included!

LISTEN FOR THESE QUOTES

(10:30) “The funny thing is, I almost didn’t take that job (at ESPN.”)

(13:33) “It was a bummer to say goodbye to it, but I have fond memories of that entire team both on air and off the air. We were literally a huge family … People ask me all the time if I would go back and I don’t know what the answer to that is.”

(14:49) “I had a co-worker at one point, we were at a Giants game, and she said, ‘Why don’t you start your own blog - you’re always talking about food and the recipes you’re making and the restaurants you’re visiting,’ and I was like, ‘Yea, I should!’”

(21:23) “One of the things I’ve always loved about journalism and my job and my career throughout the years is the ability to tell people’s stories. A lot of times in TV you don’t get a lot of time to sit with somebody … but podcasting in general you get a chance to dive in and ask them about topics that are important to them and important to your listeners as well.”

(24:19) Jaymee’s dream food day - from huckleberries in Montana, to fresh Italian foods, to a steak dinner with her late father

(30:55) “We ate really well when we were down there (in New Orleans). It’s definitely been on my list to go back there with my boyfriend as well. There’s so many good things you could pick - shrimp po’boys for sure. There are so many fantastic places down there - it’s so hard to narrow it down to one place or one dish. You guys have some good food down there!”

(36:34) “Somebody told me that if you haven’t been fired or let go at least once in your life - you just have to go through that. Having that happen obviously is not ideal, but everything happens for a reason. I’m still making my way in this food television world every single day, but I’m getting there. So I think having that happen to me, and then also hearing that piece of advice where you have to go through that to really appreciate it is great advice for everybody.”

CONNECT WITH US / LINKS MENTIONED

Jaymee Sire Instagram

Jaymee Sire Twitter

Food Network Obsessed on Apple Podcasts

E is for Eat.com

Rachel Jones Twitter

Rachel Jones Instagram

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