Let's Get Personal
This is my personal essay for admission into Boston Univerity’s MLA in Gastronomy. For my community and for my friends, so that you can know why I’m wandering eastward for a bit and what I’ll be up to over there… Thank you for your love and support.
From Beirut to Boston
The moment I came home from school on my seventeenth birthday, the unmistakable aroma of lamb kibbi greeted me at the door. My mother surprised me by cooking my favorite Lebanese dish, and together we devoured each hearty, diamond-cut serving topped with dollops of plain yogurt mixed with lemon juice. During this simple but unforgettable meal, I realized for the first time that kibbi was so much more than just a comfort food to me; my mother’s Lebanese cuisine was, throughout my youth, my most profound connection to the culture of her homeland. Stories told over steaming pots of grapeleaves and memories shared around tables of mezze connected me intimately with my family’s cultural heritage. Since then, I have discovered a great joy and an endless curiosity in the capacity for these gastronomic traditions to shape relationships and define cultures the world over.
I have had the great fortune to travel to a number of the world’s most delicious destinations. From Morocco to Cambodia, Ecuador to Turkey, Spain to Alaska, my primary goal when I set foot on unfamiliar soil is to immerse myself in the local food, drink, and mealtime rituals that form each region’s food culture. As a result, I’ve slurped noodle soup for breakfast in Thailand, scarfed fried avocado tacos for lunch in Austin, and prepared empanadas at home in Argentina for supper. I have farmed rice in Malaysia, planted vegetables in California, and raised chickens in Oregon. When I traveled with my mother last Fall to her hometown of Beirut, I immediately felt connected to the community around me as I spotted each of our familial dishes on menus across the city. I yearn to learn more about the culinary rituals and recipes of my mother’s native country and to explore the distinct food culture of the land beyond the capital city. After extensive travels in Central and South America, Argentine food culture has particularly captivated me; from the universally honored mate ritual to the grand, age-old tradition of the asado. By way of my culinary adventures abroad, I’ve come to realize that I value these rich gastronomic experiences so deeply that I want to dedicate my career to sharing the gifts of international food culture.
This objective has motivated not only my career decisions but many of my personal endeavours as well; I am a certified Master Gardener and an accomplished cook, have baked in professional kitchens, and led immersion tours in several countries. After completing my undergraduate degree at the University of San Francisco in 2007, I created and operated a successful video production business specializing in food culture, agriculture, and sustainability and, thus, have had the privilege of capturing and sharing the stories of a number of esteemed producers, chefs, restaurateurs, small business owners, and food icons.
Last year, I launched Quincho, a small business that designs and hosts seasonal pop-up meals and community gatherings to celebrate the flavors, smells, and food traditions of deeply-rooted communities around the world. (A nod to my affinity for Argentine culinary tradition, a quincho is a gathering space in or near the home intended solely for meeting and eating.) Whether a Moroccan Fête, a pop-up Ramen Shop, or a Spanish-style tapas market, I draw upon my own observations and experiences in each place to create unique and authentic events infused with the colors, sounds, and stories of the country whose food and drink we savor. Quincho has recently gone global in the literal sense; while in Beirut last year, I prepared a 4-course Peruvian lunch for 40 diners in collaboration with a local creative collective. Last month, I hosted a beautiful dinner in my community that featured the flavors of Oaxaca, prepared by a beloved local chef. My work on Quincho is driven by the belief that we can come closer as a global community by understanding and experiencing what our neighbors eat and how we share a meal.
I intend to continue to grow Quincho into a multi-faceted celebration of global food cultures and a unique opportunity for immersion. In order to do so with confidence and credibility, I wish to take this academic next step from amateur to expert. I want to truly understand how the history of the Middle East has led to the wild popularization of hummus, to discover why the Argentine quincho holds such a central place in the estancias of the country’s vast grasslands, to learn knife techniques from working chefs, and to exercise my writing skills until my stories are worthy of publication. I hope to cultivate creative and professional opportunities for Quincho, to develop an informed structure for marketing culinary experiences to a particular audience, and to explore the possibilities of gastronomic tourism. These are just a few of the many reasons that I wish to enroll in the Master of Liberal Arts in Gastronomy program at Boston University’s Metropolitan College. Joining the graduate program this Fall would be an honor and would grant me the opportunity to develop the tools and acquire the knowledge I need to reach my goals.
This Winter, I will create a menu for a Lebanese feast designed and hosted by Quincho. My mother will undoubtedly be ecstatic and stubborn about specific ingredients and methods, and I will be equally enthusiastic and tenacious about modifying recipes and presentation to reflect our recent dining experiences in Beirut. Together, we’ll write our version of Lebanese food culture and share it with an inspired community for one night. And I hope that after we close the doors that night, we’ll be clinking our glasses of arak to my impending departure to Boston to begin a new and unfathomably enriching gastronomic adventure.