“Everyone has a story to tell,” proud Haitian-American educator Jean-Robert Andre says during our chat. “Sharing food is showing love. Cooking is a way to show love to the folks we invite to break bread.” This passion for connecting with community has made Jean-Robert a busy man. Having spent over two decades working as an educator, he’s now the Director of Equity, Inclusion and Belonging at Grace Church School in Manhattan. He also lends his considerable talents as a board member to People of Color in Independent Schools and The Sylvia Center, where his affinity for equity work has found a natural home among our community-centered programming. We sat down for a chat with the Queens native to find out why he thinks food is such a powerful tool for connecting with students.
Tell us a bit about your background and how it connects to your work.
My parents are Haitian. One of the ways I’ve been able to connect with my culture is through language (my mom was adamant about raising me to speak French) and through food. Food has always felt like an important tether to my family’s culture.
As a middle school science teacher, nutrition was one of my favorite units to teach. We did a 360° view of what it means to eat: the science, the digestive system, what nutrients we’re getting from food. Looking at how culture, geography, environment, socio-economics and family impacts what ends up on our plates was a gateway to talk about food access. We started by naming things like food deserts, and talking about how where you live impacts foods that are in season or accessible. Food was ultimately a way to get to know the kids better. We invited them to bring food from their culture, and we tasted everything from miso soup to empanadas to Vegemite!
What drew you to working with The Sylvia Center?
The Sylvia Center provides access to healthy foods while teaching kids about how to make healthy choices. It takes work to sift through the noise and understand what foods to choose, where to find them, and how to use them. I love that part of the TSC curriculum is about incorporating these skills. TSC is also present in areas where food access may be the most limited, and where those choices may be harder for people to make. Part of my work is to think about how we give people the access they need for success. That equity piece is woven deeply into the mission and practices of The Sylvia Center.
There’s also an important aspect of empowerment that comes with the work TSC is doing. The mentorship and professional development opportunities woven into the Work-Based Learning (WBL) track of the Teen Culinary Apprenticeship (TCA) program speak to that. I love to hear stories about TCA alumni who have gone through our programs and then become instructors. Or WBL students who get to show off their skills and delectable recipes at TSC events.
What does the power of cooking mean to you?
The power of cooking is the ability to bring people to the table. When we’re cooking, we’re very intentional about ingredients, recipes, and preparation, and that’s often tied to our culture and ancestors. Learning about how foods are prepared is a way of building a bridge between the folks and places we come from, and the plates we prepare. There’s a lot of power in cooking when it comes to building community, to connecting to our past, and to showing love.
