One of the great things about food is its ability to connect people and cultures. This is one of the main driving forces behind my desire to attend culinary school in order to learn new skills and techniques for preparing both sweet and savory dishes Growing up, my family always ate dinner together every evening. It was always a time for each of us to reflect on our day at school or work. Sometimes we shared our struggles so that others can help lift our burdens. Other times we shared things that made us laugh or had a positive impact on our day. This is one thing that I miss the most as I've grown and matured. The food brought us to the table, and this is what brought us together as a family. I've experienced the same phenomenon in other aspects of life as well. Wherever there is food, people will gather. It could be a function at work. And as many would say, a meeting without food or specifically without cake, is just a boring meeting. But bring out the food and cake, and it's a party, even if it's supposed to be a meeting. Church events with food always resulted in the best attendance. And most people I know go to the fair or other events for the food! Humongous turkey legs, mile high nachos, and deef fried anything!! We may leave such events in a state of misery because we ate so much, but these are the events that stick out the most to us years down the road. Not only does food bring people together, it brings different cultures together. The huge world we live in can be made much smaller by dining out at a restaurant whose cuisine is from another part of the world. We get to experience small bits and pieces of other cultures, customs, and traditions. We get to taste new flavors and experience new sensations. And most importantly, the circle is completed because this also introduces us to new people, that become new friends. And we start to learn that even though we come from different parts of the world, we are all basically the same. We often have the same struggles, share the same types of desires, and want to connect to others. My goal is to one day have my own business. I don't want to be a chef that stays hidden in the back of the house operations, behind the swinging doors. Yes, I want to be in the back helping prepare beautiful and delicious food. But I also want the opportunity to connect with all of the people my business will serve. Get to know them, their family, and find out what makes life good for them. Food is what allows all of this to take place!