I remember the moment I fell in love with cooking. My mother was cutting vegetables, her hands bringing the knife up and down, in a precise motion, like dancing, it was elegant, mesmerizing, fascinating. In her kitchen, she had the ability to make even the simplest of tasks seem like magic. She stayed true to her recipes, she left no room for error, filling every bite with complex flavors and wholesome ingredients. It was the kind of food that left you in awe. Watching her cook and witnessing her pour her passion into every dish, soon became my inspiration and determination into becoming a chef. 

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While many of my peers struggled with choosing their careers, I was fortified in my calling. Shortly after graduating high school, I began attending the Culinary Institute of America where I learned technique and the art of cooking. As my first venture into the workforce, I had the honor to work for one of the most well known establishments in the world, The Walt Disney World Resort. This incredible opportunity led me to venture into fine dining next, where I explored a different side of the culinary industry. I worked with fresh, quality ingredients, alongside the very best chefs, in a beautiful prestigious setting but I remained unfilled on a personal level. I yearned for a sense of belonging and it was that invaluable experience that became the catalyst to becoming the chef I am today. I left the fine dining/ restaurant industry and took on a position as a private chef, in New York City. I was back to working in a home kitchen, where I had started with my mom. The intimate setting granted me the space I needed to nurture and flourish my creativity once again. It was the best professional decision I have ever made. 

 

I look back on the memory of my mom, in her kitchen, chopping vegetables, fondly and often. It is a reminder of how truly blessed I am, to do what I love everyday, to have found my passion so young, to have realized it wholeheartedly and to have come full circle. I now live in Washington state, where I get to bring love into other people’s homes, through food, the same love my mother brought into ours and the same love I’d like bring into yours 

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-Melody