Friends of the Fci 2010

¶ … Friends of the FCI 2010 Scholarship

My earliest childhood memories unfold in a wave of tastes and smells. My father, an experienced cook, always let me watch him as he prepared dinner or harvested vegetables from our small garden. It was from my father that I learned about the healing power of food: the healing power of a good meal to reinvigorate the soul, and the healing power of fresh and healthy plants and herbs to make a young body grow. It was from my father -- and the Mother Earth of our garden -- that I learned to respect the land. My father allowed me to cook and eventually to plant my own peppers, herbs, and tomatoes. As I grew bolder I began to seek out cooking books and experiment with new recipes. I also created a compost heap for my garden.

Sometimes life presents great obstacles that turn out to be blessings in disguise. Despite the golden memories of my childhood, when I was twenty, my family began to experience financial difficulties. I assumed the burden of paying for my own college, medical insurance and living expenses. I wanted to help my family financially. Because of my love of caring for people, I took a full-time job as a Residential Counselor at Silver Hill Hospital, running an acute transitional unit for mentally-ill patients. Once again, during this difficult time in my own life, I was reminded of the healing power of food. I was given the task of teaching the residents how to cook and grow crops during the spring and summer.

Watching the residents find confidence within themselves as their cooking skills improved was one of the proudest times of my life. Cooking and feeding yourself is a tremendous source of empowerment. Nurturing others with food can give the most depressed or distracted person hope. I taught the community how to grow a wide variety of lettuce, carrots, eggplant, broccoli, tomatoes, peppers, and herbs. The garden was located at the back of the unit, and instead of watching television or aimlessly wandering the halls, I witnessed the residents spend hours tilling the soil, planting seeds, tending the young shoots, harvesting the fruits of their labor, and finally cooking and serving their creations. What can be more inspiring than knowing you can feed yourself and your friends? The change in their appearance was remarkable. Gardening and cooking was not just a hobby, it was a metaphor for their ability to regenerate themselves in mind and body.

My dream is to own my own restaurant, a place where all of the food on the menu is grown and raised on-premises. I would also like to employ members of the community along with professional hospitality staff to serve in the restaurant and tend the garden. My hero is Dan Barber, a man who has successfully united his passion for food with his desire to improve the planet. Interning with him someday is my dream. Surviving in the hospitality industry can be grueling, but Barber illustrates it is possible to do so without sacrificing higher principles.