Hi Alex! I don't work on the animations for Battle Chef (I do 2D art for the items, props, and food ingredients) but I agree, I love 2D animation in games too :>
I'm totally open to chatting. I pop in on the forums and the slack channel every so often, and I'll definitely be around when the jam starts. One of my favourite parts of the last game jam was being able to share feedback as games were being made.
Good luck to you too!