Winner will appear in Taste of Home magazine, cook with Carla Hall, and take home $25,000
Not just cooking - I harvest stories. From Serra’s missions to Mother Joseph’s gardens, I plate American heritage.
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What is your signature dish? - 494 caracteres: "Baltimore to Capitol Filet" - Filet mignon topped with Ecuadorian ají and basil olioli California mission yellow rice with garbanzo beans. As an Ecuadorian immigrant and Morgan State Nutrition grad, I fuse my roots with American history. As a Nutrition Educator with UMD Extension EFNEP, I teach Baltimore families heritage foods. Garbanzos fed Serra’s missions. Ají honors my home. It’s Baltimore meets Capitol Hill
Who is your culinary inspiration?Mother Joseph of Statuary Hall + families I serve with UMD Extension EFNEP. Only 11 women among 100 statues drove me to act. As an Ecuadorian immigrant and Morgan State Nutrition grad in Baltimore, I teach low-income families to eat healthy with dignity. Like Mother Joseph feeding miners, I use native plants and history to nourish and include women. That’s Baltimore meets Capitol Hill.
What would you do with the $25,000?Launch "Statuary Hall Seed-to-Plate Kits" for the CVC with UMD Extension EFNEP curriculum. As a Latina Nutrition Educator from Baltimore, Serra’s statue inspired me. Kits pair California mission garbanzos with my filet recipe, Mother Joseph’s story, and EFNEP lessons. $25K funds USDA compliance, packaging, and first Baltimore production run. We’ll teach history, nutrition, inclusion. From Baltimore kitchens to Capitol Hill.
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