Jewell Vold’s journey with Jewell’s Jamzz is rooted in resilience, community, and a deep love for fresh, intentional flavors. Her business was born during a pivotal chapter in her life, as she rebuilt after leaving a domestic violence situation. What began as small-batch jam-making quickly grew with the support of her restaurant family and local community.
Jewell steadily built a loyal following at local farmers markets, and over time, she earned a highly competitive spot at the nationally ranked Overland Park Farmers Market, an opportunity that marked a major milestone for her business.
Like many small businesses, Jewell’s Jamzz paused during the pandemic. With encouragement from her husband, she reopened with a renewed vision: expanding beyond jams into charcuterie, desserts, and full-service catering. Today, her brand is known for creating memorable, elevated food experiences that go far beyond traditional offerings.
Her appearance on The Blox reality show helped amplify that growth, bringing new visibility while staying grounded in the same passion and creativity that started it all.
Many of her favorite flavor combinations can also be traced back to her travels through Europe, including Italy and Greece. The influence of these experiences continues to shape her approach to food, emphasizing simplicity, quality ingredients, and thoughtful pairings.
What is inspirational about the way Europeans view food?
Call it cliché, but when you're walking through different parts of Europe, you can smell lemon trees and the wild sage and thyme growing there. People go out onto their rooftops and harvest their herbs and vegetables for what they're going to cook that day. The very first sandwich I had there was just freshly baked bread and Capocollo, which is a kind of sausage, and that was it. There was no schmear. There were no vegetables. It was just bread and meat, and it was probably one of the best things I ate the entire trip. It's essentially farm to table, and it helped me fall back in love with that.
Whole pieces of fruit can be a meal essentially. You don't have to have a bunch of extravagance. A lot of the cuisine there is very basic. You've got pasta, a sauce, meat with it and cheese on top. You could just have a simple salad and that's it. That's dinner. I think getting back to the simplicity and elegance of that was really cool.
What was the best thing you ate while you were there?
I mean, the limoncello there! The lemons are the size of grapefruits. They're huge, and the sweetness is unmatched. I know it sounds crazy, but it's really good stuff.
The time before we made mozzarella in this lady's backyard. This time, we watched gelato being made. That was cool because gelato is between ice cream and sherbet. It's got that really creamy flavor.
A fun thing after one of my son's soccer matches–they just gave us some Nutella on toast with pieces of fruit, which sounds silly. It was very simple, and it reminded me to just slow down and enjoy.
How have you been able to implement what you experienced into the way you operate Jewells Jamzz?
I made an olive oil cake for a Mediterranean luncheon last week. It's a cup and a half of olive oil, which sounds crazy! But with the lemons and the sugar, it made this very dense cake that was delicate at the same time. You tasted the olive oil, and you tasted the lemon. You didn't really taste anything else. It was a nice nod to that Greek region because I think those are two of their biggest exports.
Going back to the simplicity of flavor–that's what I love about charcuterie. You can pair this cheese with this meat or this fruit with this cracker, but just remembering the flavors on their own are really good.
What has traveling taught you about the power of food and flavor?
Travel is one of the best teachers. You can have a college degree all day, but you really learn when you immerse yourself in a different culture.
We've got some really cool ethnic places throughout Kansas City. One of my favorite coffee shops is Café Cà Phê, a Vietnamese coffee shop in Columbus Park. Then, there's Café Corazón, which is Hispanic. One of my favorite things from there is a Mexican mocha. It's a chocolate based latte, but they use cayenne pepper syrup, and it is unreal.
I think it’s so important to glean from different cultures and to make your food authentic. That's what I try to do in my cuisine. That's why I really love having my own business. I'm not just going to do a Caesar salad, a lasagna and some grilled chicken for your catering.
I want to do the things that will make your event stand out. Especially for weddings, one of the things I always ask my couples is: “What did you like or didn't like about the food?" Most of them say, "I don't really remember the food." I'm like, "What? Why? How do you not remember the food?" I want to make you remember it.
Travel is one of the best teachers.
Visit jewellsjamzz.com/ to book Jewell's Jamzz catering for your next event or party.
You can also shop Jewell's full selection of jams, cakes and charcuterie online.