Margot Bevington

I love to make sauces out the heirloom tomatoes, herbs, and vegetables we grow in our garden. I make my own pasta to serve with the sauce. I use greens from our garden for a salad and dress it with an home made oil and vinegar dressing. When we have strawberries, we add them to the salad, along with cheese. Sometimes we make our own bread to go along with this feast. An herbed fougasse is my favorite bread to make. Dessert is jam made out of our garden’s blackberries over ice cream.

Growing up, we had a garden, and my Mom would make delicious spaghetti sauce, strawberry jam, and pickles with our fresh produce. She encouraged me to start cooking from a young age. I also grew up watching Julia Child on PBS. I remember thinking that cooking looked “fancy,” but also accessible. When I moved to California, I learned about Alice Waters and the farm to table movement. I got to eat at Chez Panisse and had a mind blowing plate of tomatoes.

I would use the $25000 to fund my Cooking Club for marginalized teens. We could rent a better kitchen, have a bigger budget for food and supplies, and partner with local farmers and chefs. We could also have more teens involved with access to more supplies and a bigger kitchen.