THREE CHEERS FOR OUR NEWEST TEAM MEMBER, SAM!
HIP HIP HOORAY! HIP HIP HOORAY! HIP HIP HOORAY! WELCOME!
Hi! I’m Sam and I am so excited to be taking on the role of Programs Coordinator with Growing Chefs!
My love for growing and cooking good food started with the woman who raised me - my Nonna. In fact, all of my first food memories feature her
Our lives revolved around the seasons - We would plan the garden together in the early spring and start our seeds indoors. Soon after, we’d be harvesting zucchini flowers to fry for dinner. Super seasonal and ultra-delicate, fried zucchini flowers bring me right back to my Nonna’s kitchen and are still one of my favourite treats to this day! In the fall we would harvest tonnes (literally!) of tomatoes. Some we would lay out in the sun to make sun-dried tomatoes, and others we would turn into fresh pasta sauce and store in la cantina for the winter. From the chevalatta (a type of Italian sausage) to the mozzarella to the spaghetti, almost everything we ate was homemade.
At the time, I didn’t realize how radical my Nonna was, but now, as a city-dwelling adult, I am amazed by her resourcefulness and her commitment to sharing her knowledge in the kitchen and in the garden with her granddaughters. Today, my father tills the same soil and plants the same seeds that my Nonna and Nonna did decades ago, and I plan my visit home to support him with the harvest.
Because of my upbringing, I know that food has the power to connect people to their loved ones, their community, the land they live on, and their cultural identity. What excites me most about Growing Chefs is that they are working to empower kids to discover their role in growing and cooking food. I believe that teaching children food literacy skills is an investment in mentally and physically healthy adults. It’s a step towards local, accessible food systems, and engaged interdependent communities. The benefits of teaching food literacy are endless, and I am honoured to be bringing my experience as a community worker and educator to support Growing Chefs’ mission to foster systemic change towards sustainable, just food practices by connecting kids with chefs and growers in their community.
When I’m not in the kitchen, you can find me:
Chatting with my neighbours at the Vancouver Farmers Market
Foraging for berries and other wild fruits and veggies
Looking for fresh snow to ski
Admiring flowers
Road tripping with my loved ones
Cooking pastries over a campfire
Hiking barefoot
Exploring the intertidal zone for sea stars, anemones, and other captivating critters
Planning my next dive trip (send me your recommendations!)
Written and shared in loving memory of my Nonna.
