Published March 5, 2026
BY TULLAH McCOLL
Shocked by the food waste produced by the productive agricultural County of Monterey, Jordan Champagne grew her business Happy Girl Kitchen Co. from the ground up, inspired to motivate, educate and connect the local community to what it means to eat and live healthy and sustainably.
Jordan Champagne. Photo by ERIN SCOTT
“I only want to cook food that I want to eat, and I’m not going to make stuff that wouldn’t make me healthy,” explains Champagne, who started her business 22 years ago with a farmers market stand in Watsonville, alongside her husband Todd, selling preserved goods like pickles and jams.
Happy Girl’s current location in Pacific Grove, which they have rented for 15 years, is their kitchen–where they continue to preserve goods, cook organic vegetarian meals, host workshops and culinary camps, creating a cafe and community hub for those who value quality ingredients and connections with others.
“We always want people to feel like it’s their home, which means everything to me and a lot to our community,” says the published author of “It Starts With Fruit,” a cookbook filled with techniques in making jams and marmalades, where her love for food conservation originated.
In addition to Champagne’s online shop, the location on Central Avenue has been fundamental in the growth of Happy Girl, but the owners of the building are looking to sell. Turning to the local community for support, Champagne has seen great success in working towards her fundraising goal of $200,000 by March 15 needed to secure the downpayment to buy the building and continue her journey with the business.
Happy Girl Kitchen preserves local harvest and sells nationwide through their online shop. courtesy of JORDAN CHAMPAGNE
“I realize how passionate I am about having a place where people can gather, eat, learn how to cook and just be inspired,” says Champagne.
Champagne’s connection to the CHS community goes beyond her graduated son and her daughter who is a current senior. The freshman health class takes a field trip each year to the cafe in order to learn more about nutrition and how to pickle seasonal vegetables.
“I like how they teach the students the importance of knowing where our food comes from, especially living where we do,” explains CHS health teacher Leigh Cambra.
The abundance of fertile land on California’s central coast is well known and something Champagne takes advantage of as she works with 25 organic farms in the county to cultivate fruits, vegetables and nuts for her kitchen.
But the animal-lover takes matters into her own hands, and yard, when it comes to dairy production and making cheese.
“I really care how animals are treated,” says Champagne, who looks after her three cows at her family’s home in Cachagua like any other pet. “They get lots of hugs and brushing, and they will never go to slaughter, just how our pets wouldn’t go to slaughter.”
Consistent with Happy Girl’s no waste policy, Champagne returns home with leftover fruit and vegetable trimmings to feed the cows. She also composts scraps and biodegradable cups, utensils and packaging through ReGen Monterey, a public agency focused on sustainable waste management.
Central Avenue in Pacific Grove has been home to Happy Girl Kitchen for 15 years and provided a space for the business to flourish. courtesy of JORDAN CHAMPAGNE
“If I’m not able to live by my ethics, then I don’t want to be doing it,” says Champagne. “I’m not just in it for the money, and I am willing to make less in order to live my best ethical life so I can sleep soundly at night.”
Though not having grown up surrounded by extensive farmland, but rather in the city of Chicago, her grandfather’s establishment of garden centers and her mother’s love of growing food sparked Champagne’s interest in the field before she went to study at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
“If you’re really into farming and what’s growing, you get into cooking because they go together,” explains Champagne, who sees another cookbook in her horizon.
Jordan Champagne emphasizes how small choices can make a big difference, and despite the potential cost of purchasing organic, fresh ingredients, the benefits of avoiding mass produced, processed foods will better the earth and human health in the long run.
“I was never raised in a really wealthy family, but I believe it is true wealth to be able to cook your own food and have a connection to it,” says the entrepreneur. “We all know what the right thing to do is in caring for our planet, animals and each other. It takes compassion, love and bravery, and my goal is to continue setting that example and showing that it’s possible.”
Fundraising information and workshop opportunities can be found at happygirlkitchen.com.
