L.A. Wild's Jenkinses Rumored to Potentially Announce Handover During Feast Fest

- Marina del Rey, Calif.

- Word began circling around Feast Fest Saturday that L.A. Wild owners Jan and Suzy Jenkins may want out of the organization that has grown hundredfold in their 27 years at the helm, and which provides 95% of the locally grown produce used for Feast Fest.

The Jenkinses, expected to fly on Monday from their second home in Ingleside, N.C. to Los Angeles, were rumored to announce during Feast Fest on Thursday a handover of L.A. Wild, according to Alan Johns, a Feast Fest chef who knows the Jenkinses personally:

"Talked to @SuzyJenkinsLAW and @JanJenkins who want to appoint Evelith Thursday."

- Alan Johns (@feastfestalanj), 02:46 UTC 23 November 2014

"Evelith" refers to Mary Evelith, the current head of L.A. Wild's Los Angeles County operations and a chief higher-up.  At a time when the Jenkinses, respectively 70 and 67 years old, were already considering stepping down and/or taking on a lesser role, Johns' tweet further fueled an already well-stoked fire.

Lana Loumee, a Feast Fest spokesperson, said, "if the Jenkinses do indeed have a plan to publicly announce a change of personnel during Feast Fest, we are not aware of it at this time."

Feast Fest Co-Head Chef Jim McAllister called Thanksgiving "the time to do it, if it's going to be done."  McAllister added, "Doing it now will allow us to properly give a farewell to the Jenkinses, who have thrown their sweaters in the mud for this event countless times across twenty years, and it would also allow for the maximum amount of time to get the relationship between Feast Fest and the prospective new leader Evelith right before next Thanksgiving."

The Jenkinses themselves could not be reached for comment Saturday, and neither could Evelith.

FF Wire Service