Leader and Locavore Sarasota’s New Mayor has a Palate for Politics and Food
As Sarasota’s new mayor, a longtime marketing pro, and a world-traveling gourmand, Jen Ahearn-Koch is fiercely connected to the political and culinary scene.
“Sarasota is so special to me, and being mayor of this incredible town (my hometown) is an honor but also a responsibility that I don’t take lightly,” says Ahearn-Koch, who was elected in November 2019 after years of activism and civic involvement. “I want to help and do as much as I can.”
That help involves a multitude of efforts, from her duties with the Sarasota City Commission to her work with nonprofits and small businesses. She is also a wife and mother whose commitment to family dinners has always been steadfast no matter how hectic her schedule is.
“I don’t really have a day off or even an evening off, but what I’ve always kept sacred is eating together as a family,” Ahearn-Koch says. “My kids and my husband will often wait for me if I’m in a commission meeting. We might not eat until 9 p.m. but we’re together.”
Ahearn-Koch’s love of food and family meals has been part of her identity since she was a child, and living in France for 12 years gave her a sophisticated palate. With her consulting business, JAK Consults, Ahearn-Koch also does public relations work for restaurants, which keeps her invested in Sarasota’s dining sphere.
“Sarasota has so many incredible, independent, local restaurants and businesses. I love the farm-to-table/buy-local efforts that have been happening over the last decade,” she says. “I think it’s so important for Sarasota to have these local restaurants. Everything stays here in the community, and the food is authentic and homemade.”
When Ahearn-Koch is in her marketing role, she is collaborating with locales such as Mattison’s, C’est La Vie, Bevardi’s Salute!, and Reyna’s Taqueria.
“I want to give the restaurants all the tools so they can do very well,” she says. “But there’s no blending between my political and business life. I turn off one button and then turn on another button, and it has to be that way.”
At the end of the day, Ahearn-Koch turns off all of her work buttons to be with her family: her husband, Thomas, and their sons, Oliver, 17, and Tobias, 25. She lives what she promotes: a commitment to quality food, the city that grows it, and the togetherness that the dining experience brings.
“I’ve never taken my kids to a fast-food restaurant and it has never crossed my mind to do anything like that,” Ahearn-Koch says. “We’ve raised our kids to know that the most important thing at the end of the day is to sit down together and eat.”
