Pivoting from Pastry to People

● Hood College wasn’t on my radar until I was awarded a Hodson Scholarship. Upon visiting the Hood campus I fell in love with the gorgeous campus and felt welcomed by the students that I met. I had planned to visit the other schools, but Hood had me hooked.

● Six years after graduating, I pursued pastry school at the French Culinary Institute (now merged with Institute of Culinary Education). Though not obviously using my degree in sociology when I was a pastry chef, my experience at Hood had never left me. I gained an insight into the flexibility of an individual’s ideals. Taste buds are the same, fickle, influenced by others, and diverse.

While working as a pastry chef, I began teaching classes on the side. This evolved into to planning recreational culinary classes and then also a wide variety of art classes at a community center.

● Spoons Across America, the recipe for healthier children, is a 501 (c) 3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to educating children, teachers, and families about the benefits of healthy eating. We work to influence the eating habits of children through hands-on education that celebrates the connection to local farmers and the important tradition of sharing meals around the family table. Our classroom programs combine tastings, simple recipes, nutrition learning, cultural exploration, and age-appropriate culinary skills to build confidence and healthy habits. Educators receive the full printed curriculum and a Food Explorers Kit with all essential non-disposable tools needed to teach each program, while families can access easy, child-friendly home activities that bring food discovery into everyday life.

● My current job as the Director of Educational Programs at Spoons Across America allows me to combine my varied experiences. I feel privileged to be able to deliver free curriculum and culinary supplies to elementary schools. I get to meet principals and teachers from all across the country and learn about how they are talking and learning about food with their students and community. Whether a rural micro school in the mountains or an inner-city school, education professionals find the value of food literacy education. If any teachers or principals are reading this, learn more at spoonsacrossamerica.org

• My ‘Hood’lettes’, as we call our alumni friend group, get together at least yearly and keep in touch regularly. This group of women are incredibly intelligent and I am so thankful to have met them. When I think of Hood, I think of these life-long friendships first. We have taken a few trips back to Frederick and it seems to get prettier every time, but perhaps that is because I am viewing it through all those shared memories.
• Taking my first class with Dr. Roger Reitman led me to choosing my major in Sociology. That class felt so different from high school, he empowered us to make our own opinions which I had rarely experienced in learning. After this, I took at least one class a semester with him and they felt more like compelling conversations than lectures. Dr. Ann Boyd’s Biomedical Ethics classes also still stick with me as she made critical thinking into a puzzle to be worked out. Both helped to shape the way I approach life and view the world around me.

Don’t lose the joy! Food can be a celebration of memories or a new adventure. When dealing with food restrictions due to health challenges or nutrition goals, keeping and finding new ways to ensure food is full of joy is important for sustainable changes.

My favorite phrase that is often used in child food literacy education is ‘don’t yuck my yum’. It is such a simple idea, but I believe if we could collectively utilize this ideology beyond food it would be a much more peaceful and interesting world.

Living in the Lower East Side means that nearly any possible ingredient is available at the wide variety of grocery stores. I still occasionally come across a fruit or vegetable that I have never seen before and am always curious to try it out. The only con I can think of is the lack of time to try every new restaurant!

a. I love a ‘junk food salad’ - a fish taco salad with crunchy chips; a falafel bowl with feta and pickled things; a caesar salad with fried shrimp... The combination of fresh and cheesy with various textures is my favorite food category.

b. Coffee. Whether a fussy pour-over, a corner deli or an ice cream flavor, coffee is the winner.

c. I’m a pescetarian, so I’ll pick a lobster roll instead.

d. Sure! A good friend likes pineapple, roasted garlic and jalapenos on a white pie and it is quite tasty! It could never beat out a classic slice for me, but mixing it up is fun.