By the end of the spring semester, everything began to fall into place. All my life I have known that I've had a big sensitivity to dairy products, but I had only recently learnt that I also have a sensitivity to gluten. It is not diagnosed, but my symptoms match my mother's and I have learnt how to live a gluten-free diet with her. To put it all together, I am also a vegetarian by choice, and although I still consume dairy, I have to have it in smaller quantities. I am a sustainable food systems major at Johnson & Wales and I plan on using what I have already learned from my diet to help further my studies in the food and beverage industry. As paying more attention to food allergies and sensitivities become more of a broad trend in the industry, I feel as though I am one step ahead. By also knowing about my own sensitivities, I can understand customers and consumers that have the same restrictions more as I can see them from their perspective.

When someone thinks culinary arts, most think of their favorite restaurant or this group of all or mostly male chefs working behind a steamy line. It's rare to find someone who thinks or talks about what happens before and after each night of service. Although restaurants and other food establishments sell enough product, behind the scenes so much of the leftovers go to waste - throwing away good food and money. Switching my major from baking & pastry to sustainable food systems has brought these ideas to my attention more. At Johnson & Wales University, we focus on being the most sustainable we can be in each lab and kitchen. Our chefs and instructors teach us, as students, to maximize the use of food. For instance, using any leftover vegetable scraps to make a vegetable stock. Ever since the new program had been established near the end of my freshman year last year, it sparked my interest to learn more about our food rather than how to just prepare something with it, especially since coming from a government funded vocational high school where we never had as much of an opportunity to learn certain topics such as this. During my time at said high school, we might have tried to be as sustainable as we could because of the school's tight budget, but we were never taught why and the reasons behind doing such practices besides working with the budget. We never focused on what happens when we throw away too much, we only got yelled at instead; not teaching us the right versus wrong in the situation. By learning from the newly established program at JWU, I get to learn the rights versus wrongs in these situations. I also get to learn about "farm to table" settings, plant-based cooking, zero-waste situations, and more! I find it severely important that more people learn about how to treat their food, in our restaurants, as well as in every home. Food insecurity is a large problem that our country faces and I feel that we need better ways to solve it and resolve it. We waste too much food and although so many people state that uneaten food should be given to the needy, no one has found a working way to do so. Overall, I want to find a way that everyone can obtain one of their basic human necessities of food without hurting our ecosystem and economy all together.

New meme acc: @culinaryfunnies Main acc: @short.__.t "Is this a pigeon?" meme: He really thinks he's a fungi. #meme #memes #funny #fungi #isthisapigeon #culinary #culinaryarts #chef "One does not simply" meme: With juice. #meme #memes #funny #aujus #blessyou #french #onedoesnotsimply #culinary #culinaryarts #chef

Going to a vocational trade school has made my highschool life better, especially being in the culinary arts progam my school offers. Whenever we are preparing anything like a salad or wrap that constists of cucumber, some people (including myself) never fail to grab zuchinnis instead of cucumbers because of how similar they look to each other. It's an inside joke in the trade and it's these small things like this that will make my highschool years most memorable. Whenever someone does this, the whole kitchen breaks out in laughter. The small things that happen everyday in class make almost everyday much better, especially on a bad day - I come home with a smile. Would you believe that I've learnt the difference between a cucumber and a zuchinni though! Instagram: New meme page: @culinaryfunnies Main acc: @short.__.t