I learned at a young age that food makes everything better. Feeling hungry after a long day of work? Have a couple of tacos. Craving something specific? Maybe whip up a fresh batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies. Significant other broke up with you? Nothing a bowl of French vanilla ice cream can’t fix. I think you get the point. Food has a way of bringing us out of the darkest of moods and to a level of happiness that can be almost unmatched. The same can be applied to actually making the food. Since I can remember, working in the kitchen with my parents has always brought me joy. I love helping them come up with new recipes and ideas for dinner, like pepper-stuffed bacon cheeseburgers, honey garlic salmon, and Polish boys topped with diced bell peppers and jalepeños. These new additions to our family menu bring happiness to all those who try them. This is the type of happiness I want to share with others. As someone who has had a difficult childhood- living in shelters, being in the foster care system twice, having to raise my siblings- I know that the world is not all rainbows and unicorns. I had to mature at a young age, not really being able to live my childhood to its fullest extent. After being separated from my siblings and parents twice, the value of family has become something I hold very dear to my heart. Unfortunately, I don’t have much contact with my extended family; I haven’t seen or heard from them in years. I do recall, however, that the last time I visited them was for a barbecue, celebrating my cousin’s graduation. As I look back at all the times I went to visit my aunt and uncle, I realize most of those times had to deal with food in one shape or another; it was either a cookout or going over to celebrate the holidays. It’s impressive how the act of sharing and eating food can bring even the most estranged group of people together. I want to be able to do that; have the ability to bring people together, so that, for even just a moment, they can sit down and connect. They can talk and spend time with each other, to the point where the years of separation are practically nonexistent. I want to open a restaurant that makes everyone who walks in feel like family. A place where everyone knows that they will be welcomed and can leave satisfied, with great food and even better memories. I want to leave a legacy. Something that I can work on with my family and pass down to future generations. A restaurant that will always be there to help bring people out of the darkest of moods; a place where the food makes everything better. Not feeling too well? Well, stop by my place and we’ll whip you up a fresh, warm batch of chocolate chip cookies.

I learned at a young age that food makes everything better. Feeling hungry after a long day of work? Have a couple of tacos. Craving something specific? Maybe whip up a fresh batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies. Significant other broke up with you? Nothing a bowl of French vanilla ice cream can’t fix. I think you get the point. Food has a way of bringing us out of the darkest of moods and to a level of happiness that can be almost unmatched. The same can be applied to actually making the food. Since I can remember, working in the kitchen with my parents has always brought me joy. I love helping them come up with new recipes and ideas for dinner, like pepper-stuffed bacon cheeseburgers, honey garlic salmon, and Polish boys topped with diced bell peppers and jalepeños. These new additions to our family menu bring happiness to all those who try them. This is the type of happiness I want to share with others. As someone who has had a difficult childhood- living in shelters, being in the foster care system twice, having to raise my siblings- I know that the world is not all rainbows and unicorns. I had to mature at a young age, not really being able to live my childhood to its fullest extent. After being separated from my siblings and parents twice, the value of family has become something I hold very dear to my heart. Unfortunately, I don’t have much contact with my extended family; I haven’t seen or heard from them in years. I do recall, however, that the last time I visited them was for a barbecue, celebrating my cousin’s graduation. As I look back at all the times I went to visit my aunt and uncle, I realize most of those times had to deal with food in one shape or another; it was either a cookout or going over to celebrate the holidays. It’s impressive how the act of sharing and eating food can bring even the most estranged group of people together. I want to be able to do that; have the ability to bring people together, so that, for even just a moment, they can sit down and connect. They can talk and spend time with each other, to the point where the years of separation are practically nonexistent. I want to open a restaurant that makes everyone who walks in feel like family. A place where everyone knows that they will be welcomed and can leave satisfied, with great food and even better memories. I want to leave a legacy. Something that I can work on with my family and pass down to future generations. A restaurant that will always be there to help bring people out of the darkest of moods; a place where the food makes everything better. Not feeling too well? Well, stop by my place and we’ll whip you up a fresh, warm batch of chocolate chip cookies.

I learned at a young age that food makes everything better. Feeling hungry after a long day of work? Have a couple of tacos. Craving something specific? Maybe whip up a fresh batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies. Significant other break up with you? Nothing a bowl of French vanilla ice cream can’t fix. I think you get the point. Food has a way of bringing us out of the darkest of moods and to a level of happiness that can be almost unmatched. The same can be applied to actually making the food. Ever since I could remember, working in the kitchen with my parents has always brought me joy. I love helping them come up with new recipes and ideas for dinner like pepper-stuffed bacon cheeseburgers, honey garlic salmon, and Polish boys topped with diced bell peppers and jalepeños. These new additions to our family menu bring happiness to all those who try them. This is the type of happiness I want to share with others. As someone who has had a difficult childhood- living in shelters, being in the foster care system twice, and having to raise my siblings- I know that the world is not all rainbows and unicorns. I had to mature at a young age, not really being able to live my childhood to its fullest extent. After being separated from my siblings and parents twice, the value of family has become something I hold very dear to my heart. Unfortunately, I don’t have much contact with my extended family; I haven’t seen or heard from them in years. I do recall, however, that the last time I visited them was for a barbeque, celebrating my cousin’s graduation. As I look back at all the times I went to visit my aunt and uncle, I realized most of those times had to deal with food in one shape or another; it was either a cookout or going over to celebrate the holidays. It’s impressive how the act of sharing and eating food can bring even the most estranged group of people together. I want to be able to do that. To have the ability to bring people together, so that- for even just a moment- they can sit down and connect. They can talk and spend time with each other, to the point where the years of separation are practically nonexistent. I want to open a restaurant that makes all those who walk in feel like family. A place where everyone knows that they will be welcomed and can leave satisfied, with great food and even better memories. I want to leave a legacy. Something that I can work on with my family and pass down to future generations. A restaurant that will always be there to help bring people out of the darkest of moods; a place where the food makes everything better. Not feeling too well? Well, stop by my place and we’ll whip you up a fresh warm batch of chocolate chip cookies.

I learned at a young age that food makes everything better. Feeling hungry after a long day of work? Have a couple of tacos. Craving something specific? Maybe whip up a fresh batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies. Significant other break up with you? Nothing a bowl of French vanilla ice cream can’t fix. I think you get the point. Food has a way of bringing us out of the darkest of moods and to a level of happiness that can be almost unmatched. The same can be applied to actually making the food. Ever since I could remember, working in the kitchen with my parents has always brought me joy. I love helping them come up with new recipes and ideas for dinner like pepper-stuffed bacon cheeseburgers, honey garlic salmon, and Polish boys topped with diced bell peppers and jalepeños. These new additions to our family menu bring happiness to all those who try them. This is the type of happiness I want to share with others. As someone who has had a difficult childhood- living in shelters, being in the foster care system twice, and having to raise my siblings- I know that the world is not all rainbows and unicorns. I had to mature at a young age, not being able to live my childhood to its fullest extent. After being separated from my siblings and parents twice, the value of family has become something I hold very dear to my heart. Unfortunately, I don’t have much contact with my extended family; I haven’t seen or heard from them in years. I do recall, however, that the last time I visited them was for a barbeque, celebrating my cousin’s graduation. As I look back at all the times I went to visit my aunt and uncle, I realized most of those times had to deal with food in one shape or another; it was either a cookout or going over to celebrate the holidays. It’s impressive how the act of sharing and eating food can bring even the most estranged group of people together. I am the first in my family to go to college. If given the chance to win, I would use the money from the scholarship to help me pay for school so that I can achieve my dream of starting my own food business. I’m currently a freshman at The Culinary Institute of America, working on getting my business degree with a culinary arts focus. The money would also help relieve some of the financial burden off of my mom, who will be back home, taking care of my two younger siblings while I'm away at school. I could also use the money as a way to help jumpstart my future business. I want to have the ability to bring people together with my food. I want to start a food business— be it a restaurant, food truck, catering service, whatever— that makes all my customers feel like family. A place where everyone knows that they will be welcomed and can leave satisfied, with great food and even better memories. To put it simply, this award would be an investment in my future. I’m already on the path to reaching my goals and becoming a future businesswoman; this award would just be a very helpful stepping stone to get me even further along that path.