Cherry Bombe!

I've sat down to write this post a couple times now. I feel like the whirlwind of school and all the writing requirements it brings makes the words I want to write get all jumbled in the mess of deadlines. All that's to say that on April 24, I had the opportunity to attend an incredible food event and I haven't written about it yet because the thoughts were there but the words were still hiding. Lucky for you, though, the words have finally revealed themselves and Sophia's Good Food is back in business.

This past April I attended Cherry Bombe Jubilee- an event in New York for female food creatives to come together, network, and celebrate the world of food. I even got a scholarship to attend for women beginning their journey in the industry! Prior to arriving, I had no connections and honestly felt so overwhelmed. I was wondering if it was a good idea to cold-turkey the event. However, I left with multiple new friends, a goodie bag with new snacks for my dorm, and a signed copy of Ruth Reichl's memoir Save Me the Plums.

Fortunately for me, I was not alone in my lack of connections. As I arrived at the venue, I immediately ran into some fellow scholars who were also scrambling for someone to ground them. And since the best way to get to know people is through food, we made a bee line for the vendor samples to get better acquainted. I got to know Sophia through shared bites of fluffy sundried tomato focaccia. She's a year out of college working on a food podcast in Maine. Sam and I went back for seconds of the most heavenly olive oil and lemongrass cake while she told me about her experience as a full-time student at Drexel and her part-time job working as a line cook in Philly. Maya and I ate as many Oishii omasake strawberries as humanly possible while she told me about her pop-up bake sales in Montreal. As I moved between stalls, I chatted with Celine, who owns a café in Los Angeles and strives to bring delicious and healthy food options to her latino and largely low-income neighborhood.

I wasn't truly full until I tried everything black truffle at the Wegman's station and fortunately for me, the first round of panel discussions was about to begin.

Among many panelists, I particularly loved hearing Dauphinette's Olivia Cheng speak about how she incorporates food into fashion and share the experience of having one of her pieces at the Met's Costume Institute. Icons Grace Young, Dr. Jessica B. Harris, and Madhur Jaffrey's wise words lit up the room and I seriously don't think I've ever heard so much female laughter at one time. As I witnessed women tell stories from years of experience and from all disciplines within the industry, I felt more at ease about what comes next for me.

More literally though, what came next was even more delicious food and chats with the icons themselves. My lunch wrap provided by Maman gave me the confidence I needed to introduce myself to Dr. Harris and Madhur Jaffrey, conversations in which I mostly gushed about how incredible their panel was. I both smile and cringe at those memories now.

As the snack hour came to a close, we got ready for panel session #2 and at first, I had no idea who Jenny Nguyen was. I'll also bet quite a bit of money that at the time of that second session, I was the only NCAA athlete in the room. So you can imagine my surprise when she started speaking about starting her own sports bar featuring exclusively women's sports (and shouting out women's NCAA basketball). It's aptly named the Sports Bra and not only does it uplift women in sports, but it also sells some fantastic food. It's like the place was made for me.

Still smiling from Jenny's talk, I got ready for my most-anticipated speaker, Ruth Reichl. Ruth was the Editor in Chief of Gourmet magazine for 10 years, as well as a food critic for over 20. She's written several books, and for me, is the pinnacle of female food writing. To hear her speak in person was a dream, so you can imagine the absolute fangirl I became when I had the chance to meet her.

I had brought my water-stained copy of her memoir Save Me the Plums for her to sign, however, I soon found out that I had to reserve a spot in line in advance to make it happen. One thing about me though is I'm always up for a challenge. After all, I didn't bring my almost-destroyed book all the way to New York for nothing.

I nervously gorged myself on Black and Chai cookies from the Cherry Bombe Bake Shop while killing time downstairs. An hour later, I peeked my head into where she was signing books. I found the space entirely empty, save for a couple workers, and luckily, Ruth herself.

I honestly don't remember much about what I said to her but I do remember babbling like an idiot. She smiled while I told her about myself and laughed when I told her about the state of the copy of her book. When she returned it with her signature, I held onto it for dear life, fearing that one more water stain or torn page would erase the gift she had given me.

I learned a lot about myself during the conference. I discovered my underlying super-confidence, which I used to speak to some of the most influential women in the food industry. I whipped out conversation starters over shared bites to meet new friends. I realized just how many careers paths there are within food, and that they almost never play out the way you plan. I feel more confident about telling people I want to go into some type of food writing despite not knowing exactly how. I'm also open to plans changing entirely, as long as it involves good food.

*A very special thank you to Kerry Diamond and the entire Cherry Bombe team for giving me such an beautiful opportunity, to all my fellow scholars for their guidance and friendship, and to Ruth, for giving me the gift of wise words and her name in ink.