for the longest time I’ve had a curiosity about food, and a love for feeding people
Age 7 (chocolate)
Napo Province, Ecuador.
I spent my days running with goats — ever see a goat in a tree? — and fetching goat milk and fresh eggs from our farm while my family ran a small chocolate company. Then, one day, the earth shook under us and we immediately left for a farm near the Amazon rain forest.
Age 11 (papaya)
Everyday I walked through rows of tomatoes, corn, blackberries, lettuce, papaya, string beans with my older brother on our family’s plantation.
We carried a machete in our hands as we worked—snakes—and, after we picked the vegetables, we loaded them onto a horse drawn carriage that would go from La Libertad to be sold in Cuenca by my older sister.
Age 12 (bakery)
My mom opened a bakery in Cuenca, Ecuador and I was her cashier. I loved waking up early to go to the bakery with my mom and, to this day, I look forward to getting up early to visit bakeries and smell the air of fresh bread.
Age 18 (uniform)
I wore a white chef uniform for the first time. I was now in New York and, still learning the language, I volunteered to serve dinner to people from a local shelter organized by a local charity. I didn’t know how to cook yet but I loved wearing the uniform and making people feel cared for. The idea of a life in food was growing in me.
age 20 (cake)
Going to my first job in craft service, I walked onto the set of Stepmom. I still remember the noise of pans rattling in the truck while my brother was driving to the location and the day I brought a cake for Julia Roberts and sang Happy Birthday to her.
today (community)
Now, every day, I share my love for food with assistant directors, dolly operators, the cast and the many crew members of all the departments involved in the productions—and am happy to be part of a community of people who are devoted to what they do. I also take great pleasure in being an observer of what people like and figuring out what will delight them.
