Cunningham Telling the story of women’s big wave surfing Energy Bar Pioneer Jennifer Maxwell’s new JAMBAR // 30 Stetina’s Paydirt Gravel cycling event in Carson City

Jennifer Maxwell and her new company JAMBAR

By Leonie Sherman

Jennifer Maxwell’s degree in food science, along with her athletic background, inspired the creation of PowerBar, widely considered the first energy bar. But it’s her passion and resilience that nurtured her six children after their father passed away and led to JAMBAR, a whole food bar that nurtures the body while contributing to her local sports and music community.

Maxwell grew up in Bolinas, the magical Marin enclave famous for removing road signs that might bring outsiders to their slice of paradise. In a glorious Mediterranean climate and a house without TV, being outdoors nurtured her imagination and body. She started running at an early age and competed in triathlons before enrolling at UC Berkeley, where she studied how food contributes to athletic performance, and met her husband Brian. “Together, we embarked on making PowerBar,” Maxwell explains. “We created an entirely new food category, there were no energy bars you’d eat before working out.” They started in 1985, before she even graduated from college, fulfilling mail orders out of their basement. Their original clients were cyclists, runners, and other athletes, though as the energy bar market expanded so did their consumer base. And their family. In 1988, Maxwell graduated with a bachelor’s degree in food science and married Brian. The next year they welcomed their first child; five more followed. “I love being a mom, it came really easy to me, but raising a family and growing a business, whew,” Maxwell laughs. “It was a very busy time.” Twelve years after starting PowerBar, they sold the company to Nestle. In 2004, just four years later, Brian died suddenly during a run. “He had a congenital heart defect, and waited too long to get a valve replaced,” explains Maxwell. She was left with six children, the oldest 16 and the youngest only seven months. The trauma of losing her partner was a shock to her entire system. “It took me two or three years before I could function again,” she recalls. “I went to a lot of music concerts in the year after he passed,” explains Maxwell. Music helped her transform the pain and loss. “Drums really spoke to me, so in 2007 I started playing. It took about 10 years before I got any good, but now I’m in two bands.” “So now I’m a musician,” reflects Maxwell. “I’ve been a food scientist and athlete my whole life. Music and sports have both been coping mechanisms for me. Everyone needs some kind of an iron rod that protects their sanity, something to hold onto that keeps them grounded.” Maxwell decided to combine her twin passions into a money-making project that nurtures her body, her immediate circle of friends and an expanding group of athletes. “I’ve created a business and a bar that promotes those things that saved me,” Maxwell says with a contented sigh. Six years ago she found herself in a situation familiar to many foodie athletes. “I was sitting at the kitchen

“Together, we embarked on making PowerBar. We created an entirely new food category, there were no energy bars you’d eat before working out.”

— Jennifer Maxwell

This page, top to bottom: Jennifer Maxwell is a lifelong athlete who started running marathons at age 13; Maxwell and her late husband Brian started PowerBar while studying at UC Berkeley in 1985. Opposite page, top to bottom: Maxwell with a tray of organic dried mangos, used in their vegan and gluten free Musical Mango bar; Music helped Maxwell get through the pain of losing her husband. She later learned to play drums and now is in two bands. Part of the proceeds from JAMBAR goes to supporting kids learning to play an instrument.

table with my daughter lamenting that there was no energy bar out there I wanted to eat,” she remembers. Like Goldilocks she found them either too sweet, or too processed, or too bland. “My daughter pointed out that with my background I should be able to make something better than what’s out there.” There at the kitchen table, the JAMBAR was born. Five years later, in October of 2021, they sold their first bar. Now JAMBARs are available at cafes, health food stores, bike shops and gift boutiques throughout California, as well as direct to consumer via their website (the company made a conscious decision to not sell their bars on Amazon). JAMBAR is expanding to markets in Oregon, Massachusetts, Idaho and Florida. Maxwell employs 10–15 people, many of whom she’s known for decades.

“Fifty percent of our profits go to music and active living. JAMBAR is all about education, performance, community involvement, getting people outside, and the transformative power of music.”

— Jennifer Maxwell

“Fifty percent of our profits go to music and active living,” she explains. JAMBAR is a major sponsor of the California Jazz Conservatory, and donates money and bars to a dozen organizations, including a music school in Haiti, an after-school bike program, and the Tamalpa Runners Club. They are a title sponsor of the local mountain bike event, Ales for Trails, as well as the Cookout Concert Series, a music series held at HopMonk Tavern in Novato. “JAMBAR is all about education, performance, community involvement, getting people outside, the transformative power of music, helping kids learn to play an instrument …” Maxwell’s voice trails off, lost in her own excitement. “But at the center of our mission is a commitment to making a super high quality product.” That process starts with the highest quality ingredients. “We use maple syrup, because it’s a live whole food. The available water in our bars is very low, so the shelf life is at least a year. And we use sunflower protein,” she explains. “It’s super expensive, so almost nobody uses it, but it has very little flavor, almost no after taste, and a very high protein efficiency.” All of which means JAMBARs are expensive to make, but they retail for between $2.99-3.49, comparable to other high end whole food bars. “We don’t gouge the consumer, we are a small private company and we will always remain private and relatively small,” explains Maxwell. “That allows us to maintain our focus — being involved in the local music and sports community while making a high quality, tasty energy bar.” Food, of course, can be more than just what a person chews on. “Part of how we eat is philosophical, what do you want to put in your body?” Maxwell explains. “I like to be close to nature, so I try to eat what is in nature, whole foods. That allows me to be more in tune with everything, including what’s going on in my body.” Though she embraces health foods, she believes fixating on specific diets and excluding certain foods can lead to guilt, and reinforce shame and other negative feelings around eating. “Food should bring joy into your life and not guilt,” she says. “You want to focus on how food makes you feel.” The pure whole food ingredients of JAMBARs make a body feel good, and the knowledge that every purchase supports local athletes and musicians creates a positive feedback loop. Look for them in local stores throughout California.

FROM THE CREATOR OF THE POWERBAR®

Certified organic. Insanely delicious.

We’re talking ancient grains, organic berries and nuts. Proteins from sunflowers and milk. Maple syrup and organic honey as sweeteners. Only clean and natural, real food energy. Fuel your body with the good stuff while giving to your community. 50% of net profit is donated to music and active living nonprofits. Get your jam on!

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Riding the inaugural Stetina’s Paydirt gravel cycling event in Carson City

Words by Kurt Gensheimer • Photos by Christopher Keiser

The last two years have not been kind to event promoters. Finding a way to stay afloat financially while not being able to put on events has been a challenge that’s tested the mettle of promoters everywhere. Some have chosen to fold up the tent so to speak, while others like Bike Monkey, based in Santa Rosa, CA, have gotten creative and persevered.

For professional cyclist Peter Stetina, the dream of creating what he considers his “best day of gravel bikes” and what it should look like came together on May 21 in Carson City, NV at the inaugural Stetina’s Paydirt gravel cycling event, providing a portion of proceeds to the High Fives Foundation. Although Stetina and Bike Monkey founder/owner, Carlos Perez, organized a small VIP ride in Fall 2019 as a proof of concept for the event, Paydirt didn’t happen in 2020 or 2021. “After three years of planning and two years of false starts, I asked myself ‘what’s the point?’ and was about to just give up on the idea,” said Perez. “If it weren’t for Peter, I totally would have given up, but his persistence and encouragement kept me motivated to make the event happen.” People who know Perez know he’s not one to give up easily. Stetina’s Paydirt marks Bike Monkey’s fifth successful event already in 2022; a time when most promoters are only getting back on their feet with a single event. From a participant’s perspective, it seemed like Paydirt ran like a well-oiled machine, especially for an inaugural event, as if Bike Monkey had never even been forced to stop putting on events. Offering 63-mile (4,700-foot elevation gain) and 50-mile (3,100-foot elevation gain) course options, Stetina’s Paydirt featured two timed segments for the long course and one timed segment for the short course, enabling participants to get out their competitive urges while still being able to relax, take in the beautiful Carson Valley scenery, socialize and enjoy the ride. The route featured a mix of gravel, rugged, rocky jeep road, deep sand and pavement, requiring participants to choose their bike wisely, ranging from road bikes and gravel bikes to light, fast full-suspension mountain bikes. Wider tires with knobbies were definitely a good call, as the sand was rather deep in several sections. Both courses started and finished at Fuji Park on the south side of Carson City, leaving town to the east, along the Carson River on Mexican Ditch trail, then into the Pine Nut Mountains, on a rocky and sandy climb through large stands of pinyon and juniper trees along Brunswick Canyon. The first timed segment for both routes was 18 miles, starting on Sedge Road with a short climb and descent into Brunswick Canyon, followed by a gradual longer climb south out of Brunswick Canyon, peppered with loose rocks and sections of sand, definitely a grind for those with skinny tires. Once out of the canyon, commanding views of the eastern Sierra Nevada opened up, followed by a long, smooth and very fast dirt descent in the biggest gear you had on Sunrise Pass Road headed west towards Johnson Lane. After wolfing down some aid station hot dogs at the end of the first timed segment, riders got a break from the sandy, loose and rocky dirt, transferring to 19 miles of casual pavement through the Carson Valley. Passing through Nevada’s oldest settlement, Genoa, at the foot of the towering eastern Sierra Nevada, the Paydirt course turned north on Jacks Valley Road towards Clear Creek Trail, but not before some riders decided to stop for refreshments at the oldest continuously operating saloon in Nevada, the Genoa Bar. Clear Creek Trail is where the long and short course separated, with the short This page, left to right: Riders get their first taste of dirt heading east on Golden Eagle Lane towards the Pine Nut Mountains; Navigating occasional loose sand was among the more challenging aspects of Paydirt.

course going back to Fuji Park, and the long course climbing Clear Creek Trail seven miles in the second timed segment. Although mostly a singletrack climb, Clear Creek Trail is gradual, featuring short sections of downhill and fast uphill corners, making it feel like less of a climb than it actually is. The final mile of Clear Creek jumps out onto the old Highway 50 alignment, with high-speed downhill sections of asphalt mixed with dirt and sand before a short, steep climb to the finish. Despite how fast the climb felt, the scenery of snowcapped Jobs Peak standing 5,000 vertical feet above the Carson Valley