Jennifer Garner is expanding her presence in the culinary world with a new role that brings her love of cooking to the screen. In the upcoming television adaptation of Elin Hilderbrand’s bestselling novel, “The Five-Star Weekend,” streaming on Peacock, Garner portrays Hollis Shaw, a food influencer. The project marks a convergence of her personal enthusiasm for food and her acting career.

Garner, who gained a following with her “Pretend Cooking Show” during the pandemic, worked alongside a food stylist to refine her knife skills and master the pan flip—a culinary technique she found challenging. Despite this, much of her approach to cooking stems from early experiences in her family kitchen. Raised in a household where her mother baked bread weekly and prepared dinner most nights, Garner developed her instincts through observation and practice alongside her two sisters. The family shared a love for baking, often keeping the cookie jar stocked for their father.

During an interview in a New York cooking studio, Garner reflected on her pandemic-era efforts to cook on camera, including a memorable instance recreating Ina Garten’s chicken recipe via Zoom under Garten’s watchful eye. The experience underscored her genuine interest in learning and sharing culinary skills, even acknowledging occasional difficulty following recipes precisely.

“The Five-Star Weekend” offered Garner an opportunity to embody a character closely linked to food culture, and she expressed enthusiasm for both the book and the role. “I loved actually shooting the cooking scenes,” she said, emphasizing the authenticity she found in portraying a food influencer. Unlike some previous roles that required technical knowledge she didn’t possess, cooking came naturally enough to provide a grounded performance. Garner was candid about her knife skills, describing them as functional but unpolished, and admitted to struggling with pan flipping despite considerable practice.

In addition to her on-screen work, Garner’s personal life continues to revolve around food. She shares her culinary passion with her three children, who are especially fond of baking. She recounted a recent family moment when her son prepared breakfast eggs to accompany a chocolate quick bread she baked—a tradition rooted in recipes from Rose Levy Beranbaum’s “Bread Bible.”

Garner also recalled fond memories of her mother’s Sunday bread baking, which included shaping dough into figures for the family to enjoy fresh and warm. These early experiences have left a lasting impression, fueling her ongoing interest in cooking and food storytelling.

With “Pretend Cooking Show” and her new role in “The Five-Star Weekend,” Jennifer Garner continues to blend her passion for food with her work in entertainment, offering audiences an authentic and relatable perspective on home cooking and culinary exploration.