Food has always been a part of my story. My parents taught me early on how to cook and I was hooked. For my 1st grade show & tell, I brought in all my cooking utensils and proudly presented Cooking with Katie, a phrase that stuck with me for the rest of my life. I would beg my parents to let me plate the food they made for the family, as if we were in a 4-star restaurant. I loved experimenting too, like when I learned I could make an hors d’oeuvre by throwing herbed cream cheese into a Ziploc bag and then piping it into individually emptied out baby cherry tomatoes (that last bit was a bit of a painstaking process).
I eventually moved to Spain and spent several years there, during which my love of food only grew. There are so many memories I hold dear from that time. My first taste of clams (almejas al ajillo) and paella de marisco at my exchange sister’s favorite seafood restaurant, right on the water in Cullera. And no, my high school self could not be slouching more.
Listening to my Granadina host mom recite all my favorite recipes, like arroz cubano, so I could write down the steps and make it again once I moved back home. Some of my favorite meals were her sopas, but her bocadillos were top notch—I still get flavor flashbacks when I have a fresh loaf of bread, a bit of olive oil paired with Manchego cheese and lomo.
Spending the summer on a farm in Ireland to learn more about growing food (and how to make killer fresh blackberry jam and a full Irish breakfast in the process).
Being welcomed into my Spanish friend’s home in León, where every person treated us like family. They shared all their favorite cured meats, like the local delicacy cecina, and we spent the whole day on their farm as they slow-cooked fideuà for us over an open fire.
While in Madrid teaching elementary school, I helped create and teach the first science-based bilingual cooking class for my school. Every week, I taught over 100 students how to make things like energy bars, honey mustard chicken, or American-style chocolate chip cookies (a huge hit considering they thought Chips Ahoy were the chocolate chip cookies. Disgraceful.).
We would then dive into the science behind what they just made or learn more about how food grows. Among other things, we helped answer the eternal question of an 11 year old: “Why can’t I eat candy every day and be ok?”.
From seeking out a hidden gem restaurant in my town, to diving into a new cookbook, to trying out an old family recipe, to teaching kids to love cooking as much as I do, food has always been something that both grounds and inspires me.
What does food mean to you?