Written by Gracie Gardner, The Sylvia Center Culinary Council
On a drive with my mother, when I was around 14, we went to see what was happening at the new farm down the road–Katchkie Farm. Out of curiosity, not criminal intent, I swear. We entered through the back gate and were scoping out the place as rows of technicolor snapdragons quivering in the wind greeted us. They were irresistible. We considered snipping one or two, but our thoughts were interrupted when Liz Neumark, founder of The Sylvia Center, approached. I don’t remember the exact exchange, but rather than calling the cops on us, a lasting connection formed. My mother explained my interest in cooking to Liz, and she suggested I join TSC at their Spring Street location in Manhattan to see what they were up to, and potentially assist in their culinary programming.
I went on to work with TSC during my high school years, assisting former Chef Educator Nina Simmons with cooking classes. In tandem with the students, I learned new cooking techniques that gave me greater confidence. In my capacity to cook, yes, but more so in my own sense of holistic competence. This newfound understanding of my capacity to feed myself and others clarified my power in cultivating a life based on my own needs.
One day, Nina was teaching students how to make fresh pasta. I remember watching the light go on in these children’s heads. This dish–pasta–that they all loved so much, was so easy to make, and tasty. They kneaded and prodded the dough until it sprung back just right, using their senses, trusting their instinct, connecting with their power to make something delicious and nourishing.
In this moment of tumultuous political and ecological instability, making time to feed yourself well is a powerful act of grounding. The dignity and comforting effects of a hot meal, lovingly prepared and shared, can’t be underestimated in lifting the spirits. The Sylvia Center’s programs do just that. They provide a boost of energy, confidence and joy when the students share a meal together, after creating it–together. The power of cooking is knowing you have the capacity to meet your own nutritional and sensory needs. Cooking has been such a stabilizing and constant force throughout my life and, like so many others, was sparked by my work with The Sylvia Center.
Until next time, be powerful in the kitchen!
Gracie
