COOKING CHEF
OF MANY HATS
Jane Rowley plays many roles,
but one of her favorites is as a chef
BY CAMILLE S. YATES PHOTOS BY ROB DOWNEY AND MARK DOLAN
Make no mistake about it, this Jane is far from plain. The fiery 67-year-old
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Jane Rowley is an icon in Port St. Lucie and elsewhere. Known for her
philanthropic spirit and frank talk, Rowley has served on boards and
volunteered for numerous charitable organizations since moving to the
area from Yonkers, N.Y., in 1979. And, her
famous Crab Dip is highly sought after to be
donated and auctioned off to raise funds for charity. “That’s one
recipe that I do not give out,” she says.
Rowley this month will begin hosting a television series called
Cooking with Jane on Port St. Lucie’s Aldelphia Cable channel
TV20. Her goal is to show people how to cook a fabulous meal
in 20 minutes. To add a further flair, local chefs will appear with
Rowley. “I want people to be able to enjoy the wonderful amenities
that Florida has to offer without spending a lot of time in
the kitchen.’’
Rowley was 10 when her mother went back to work, and
that’s when she started cooking. She received an Italian cooking
influence from her parents. When asked why she started preparing
food for the family, she says, “Cooking was just natural for
me – never forced.”
After Rowley’s husband, Eugene, retired as a lieutenant from
the Yonkers Fire Department, and they moved to Port St. Lucie,
Rowley needed to find something for her husband to do. They
started Jaro Catering which has been operating as a successful
word-of-mouth business for 24 years. “We are unusual in that
we don’t advertise,” she says. “My little way of keeping my
retired husband occupied flourished and got too busy. All of
our business comes from people telling each other about
Jaro Catering.”
Rowley says meeting people is one of the best things she likes
about the catering business. “I love doing parties and I’m a very
social person,’’ she says. “I am there to please every single person.
Not just the ones who hired me.”
“A party just isn’t a party without Jane’s brand,” says Norm
Penner, executive director of the Boys and Girls Club. “Every
time I see her, I am left with an imprint of her big red lips on my
forehead or cheek. I have truly not met a more caring tenderhearted
person in community services. She brightens my day
when I see her.”
Bon vivant Jane Rowley, right, and husband, Eugene, left, started
Jaro's Catering 24 years ago shortly after moving to Port St. Lucie.
Above, Jane's marinated >> shrimp salad.