Let’s Catch Up! Its been awhile…
September is a very exciting month for me…
I go back to school, my birthday is on September 19th, it’s the start of the fall season…
I love September for so many reasons, but this year its been harder to get excited about all of the events coming up because i’m still in post-summer sadness! This summer was one of the most exciting, fulfilling, and educational summers i’ve ever had, because for eight weeks, I worked at a day camp for kids of ages 4-13, teaching them how to cook and garden! I went in with very little experience working with kids in the kitchen, but it ended up being so incredible. Everyday, we would cook a different dish ranging from homemade pizzas, to sushi, to tacos, to chocolate chip cookies, to pasta. I feel like I came home with a completely new repertoire of skills in the kitchen; time management, safety precautions, cooking for large groups of people…
While I was working at the day camp, I was living at my family’s beach house, where we have access to the most beautiful and delicious local produce from farm stands and markets. Being able to cook with such fresh produce everyday, made me realize how important it is to take advantage of our fruits and vegetables, and how simple foods can be just as delicious as intricate dishes. Cooking this summer brought me back to the basics: preparing a simple fillet of fish, roasting vegetables, making big gorgeous salads with vegetables from the farm; This summer completely redefined “cooking” for me. I hope to pursue cooking in the future, so when I envision myself in ten years, I see myself cooking at a much higher level and intensity than I am now, so I lose sight of the fact that good food doesn’t just have to be from a Michelin-starred restaurant or the product of 3 hours worth of work. Food can be defined in so many different ways, and being able to cook with locally-sourced, fresh ingredients helped remind me of that!
Here are my food highlights of the summer:
