FFS Student, Denise T., Shares About Her Grandmother’s Influence On Her Decision to Continue On To College
By Denise T.
“Hi” a high-pitched voice screamed from the kitchen. My sister and I walked through the long hallway scanning all the old black and white photos of relatives we’ve never met. Our legs were sore from the journey from our house to our grandmother’s, but we knew that it was worth it, since we were always welcomed by the crispy bacon sizzling on the stove, the English muffins popping from the hot, black toaster, and the eggs precisely shaped so that the bright yellow yolks formed a heart in the middle of the pan.
The effort that my grandmother put forth every Sunday morning for breakfast showed, in a subtle way, how much she really loved us. In my eyes, she is one of the very few women who can pull off the whole “sideways wig with the dirty apron covered in flour” look.
I knew I wanted to be her. She was beautiful, creative, loud, sincere, and to the point. She could make anything from cakes, to pasta dishes, to seafood masterpieces. She could create anything she thought of, whether it was a thought that crawled into her head while she was sleeping or if she just finished her rosary and wanted to make a cake. And yes, many times she did try to make cakes that resembled Jesus. I admired everything that she did.
I vividly remember her short stubby fingers kneading dough at 3 o’clock in the morning so she wouldn’t be behind even a second on Christmas morning. I can still feel the cold granite underneath my knees as I tried to crawl across the counter top to taste her sweet and zesty marinara sauce.
As I grew up she taught me more and more about food. She taught me what goes together and what definitely does not. For instance, I was convinced that peanut butter, jelly and cheese should go together, and even through some people believe that this is true, I’ve grown up to realize that they do not belong together under any circumstances. Without her, I know I wouldn’t have half the desire I do today to be a chef.
She taught me so much, not just about cooking though. She taught me how to be a good person, how to stand up for what I believe in, and how to form a relationship with God. Unfortunately, she passed away suddenly in December and she is been missed very much. Even though I have been at a boarding school for the last 27 months, any time I get a chance to cook I take full advantage of it.
There is no way that I could have learned as much from cookbooks as I did from my grandmother. I hope to be able to carry on her traditions and teaching through my own work with my children and grandchildren.
