Introduction
Jennifer Behm (born 10 April 1978) is an American former realtor, model, and reality television contestant who is known for competing in the Miss USA pageant in 2000 and winning the second season of MasterChef in 2011.
Early life
Jennifer Behm was born on April 10, 1978, in Wilmington, Delaware. She has two younger siblings.
Career
A realtor by profession, she represented Delaware in the 49th Miss USA pageant in February 2000, held at The Grand Palace, in Branson, Missouri. Earlier, she had won the Miss Delaware USA title in November 1999. She was unable to make it to the top 10 and the pageant was won by Lynnette Cole from Tennessee, who was the Miss Tennessee USA in 2000.
In 2011, Behm entered the second season of Fox's competitive cooking reality TV show MasterChef. She won the competition after her three-course dinner consisting of scallops, quail and a poached pear impressed the judges. After MasterChef, she did a number of cookery events/demonstrations and also started her own catering company Pink Martini Catering in Wilmington, Delaware.
In 2014, she and her husband, Julio Lazzarini, opened Red Fin Crudo + Kitchen restaurant in Providence, Rhode Island.
In addition, she is the celebrity spokeswoman for Sous Vide, a cooking appliance company.
In 2019, Behm appeared in the first and the second episode of the 10th season of MasterChef, alongside other past winners (Christine Hà, winner third season, 2012; and Shaun O'Neale, winner seventh season, 2016). The other celebrities who appeared on the show were:
- Alessandra Ambrosio, episode 6
- Masaharu Morimoto, episode 12
- Candace Nelson, episode 15
- Bobby Labonte, episode 16
- Grant Achatz, episode 18
- Daphne Oz, episode 20
- Nigella Lawson, episode 23
Prior to embarking on a career in the food industry, Behm worked as a real estate agent in Trolley Square.
Personal life
Behm married Julio Lazzarini, chef-owner of Orillas Tapas Bar & Restaurant in Wilmington, in 2012. The couple had first met in a restaurant in 2001 when Lazzarini was the executive chef at a downtown Wilmington eatery. "He made this mignonette for oysters that was divine," Behm says. "It had the perfect cucumber-to-lemon ratio. I had to know who made it." After getting introduced by the bartender, they had their first date at Capers & Lemons in Wilmington.