During my first visit with Omar, my mentee from Port Richmond, I was delightfully excited to learn about his food culture. I was surprised how passionate his family and he was about the foods that they eat, and how selective they are about where they get their food from. I learned that Omar is Muslim and cooks primarily with a Muslim influence. He eats a lot of steak, and rice, and teaches other students in his culinary class what he eats and how he makes it. I was surprised at Omar’s enthusiasm and willingness to try different foods out of his food culture. He learned that I was Italian, and shared with me that his Mom cooks spaghetti frequently, although it has a Muslim twist. He shared that his Mom uses unconventional spices (he didn’t say which) that I wouldn’t be accustomed to in my spaghetti. He also shared that would like to own a restaurant after college, and plans on majoring in business in college. I was delighted to hear that he plans on further his education after high school.

I assumed that Omar learned his cooking techniques in his culinary class, but I was wrong.  Omar teaches most of the students in his culinary class his techniques. He talked about making stew and steak in his classes, but prefers to cook outside of class, where he can infuse his Muslim spices, and special ingredients into the food.

Omar is a determined young adult, and I hope he is as successful as he is working towards. I loved hearing about his family, the way his family and he eat, and his cooking techniques. I can not wait to observe him in his culinary class.