Personal Statement

It’s an ongoing joke with people who know me well that I’ve worked everywhere and always have three or four jobs at once. I’ve had all kinds of food service jobs, from fine dining to gluten-free chicken and waffles; from ice cream shops to a juice factory; chocolatiers, tea houses, a French bakery, a Greek deli, third-wave coffee shops. Because of this, I’ve learned a lot about food and drinks. I can tell you all about sourdough (some bakers use starters that are over 100 years old!) and how fleur de sel is different from ordinary table salt; I can pour a latte, tell you why saffron is so expensive, and make aioli from scratch with my eyes closed. I grew up with limited access to food beyond the local grocery store and our family’s farm; we usually used old family recipes or our church cookbook. I actually have always thought of myself as someone with pretty traditional tastes. My comfort foods are simple, homey, Mennonite foods like scalloped potatoes, fresh buttered peas, and blueberry pie. It took me a long time to shift out of feeling ignorant about food outside of my own family’s culture and to begin to see food as interesting, storied, and multi-dimensional. Working with food, more than anything, taught me a huge variety of skills and information around food that also connect to larger patterns and histories. As I learn more about food I learn more about people, the world, and taste; I really enjoy eating all kinds of food and different flavor profiles. I appreciate the approach to food as an art, noticing how presentation shapes perception and enjoyment, but can’t separate this from questions about class and accessibility. I don’t think that being an “adventurous” eater necessarily makes anyone more interesting or “worldly," and I would like to examine the concepts that (white) Westerners have around food and our entitlement to consumption on many levels. But I also consider myself a foodie and am always extremely happy to go eat somewhere new. I prefer to go out rather than cook, but I’m trying to be a better food-maker and love scheming meal plans and recipes. I’m obsessed with salads and making them as magical as possible (fennel, citrus, edible flowers…) and am a huge enthusiast of potion-making with all kinds of new brews. I like making my own jams, sauerkrauts, and pickles; and I’m HUGE on oil blends and infusions.