Ashley Terrell

Growing up, I was only aware of mint gums and candies. My go-to candies were more creative in taste and flavor [unlike mint].

Dill wasn't a staple in my spice pantry until a year ago. Growing up, we didn't use dill in a lot of food dishes. My mother prepared very basic meals, matching her thought process for delicious and flavorful meals.

Growing up, I remember my great grandmother boiling prune juice. She would heat the prune juice to a simmer. Then, she would drink it. As I observed, she would excuse herself from the room to return minutes later.

I can honestly admit I haven't tried matcha tea yet. I became familiar with matcha tea when I worked in the hotel industry. Each day, I observed many rushed executives check-in needing a quick pick me up - they always asked if the hotel bistro offered matcha tea.

When I was growing up, carrots weren't a topic of eating before leaving the table. Instead, my family shared our love for leafy greens and vegetables, like collard greens, string beans and sweet peas.

When I was in high school, I always looked forward to my fourth block class. My fourth block class consisted of sharpening my culinary arts skills and food nutrition. I enjoyed learning about different food and their health benefits.