Friends and Family, As many of you know, I started Emerging Chefs because of the role that connection to food played in my own life. As the daughter of a Japanese immigrant I saw how we could hold onto culture and tradition through food and stories told around a communal table. I wanted to combine my background in youth development and passion for food and share that with youth in a community where many of our youth (refugees and immigrants) have had to leave behind place and can also connect to culture through food and teach one another through their cultural traditions! We teach Emerging Chefs at all of our On the Road sites and many youth continue the program throughout middle and high school! We even have two instructors who were in Emerging Chefs from 6th grade through 12th grade and joined our staff after graduating. Please help us ensure that we can continue programming for our Harrisonburg High Schoolers and host another amazing community event like the Food and Fashion Fundraiser that over 125 people attended last December. Thank you for the many ways you have supported Emerging Chefs over the years. With gratitude, Kristi