Abriana Matos
About me
Hello Everyone! My name is Abriana Matos. My passion for cooking started at a young age. The capstone program allowed me to create a cultural cookbook and research the access to produce in communities and access to healthy foods. The idea for the cookbook started when my grandmother and my dad taught me how to cook. The cookbook contains some of my favorite Puerto Rican family recipes with a research proportion. As you look through the final product, I hope you make some of these recipes and enjoy the outcome!
Why a cookbook?
I started learning how to cook at the age of four years old. Many people, such as my father, great-grandmother, and grandmother, significantly influenced my passion for cooking.
Project Focus
The goal for my capstone was to create a space to share my passion for cooking with others and for people to understand the importance of access to produce. When I was ten years old my great-grandmother made me a cookbook with family recipes. I wanted to create a cookbook with my favorite recipes to share with the community.
Research
At the begging of the research process, I had many directions, and narrowing down what I wanted to focus on was the hardest thing to do. The cookbook proportion I researched needed to be revised because I memorized the recipes from repetition. The research question I focused on was how having access to produce and healthy food influence a person's overall health and what the factors are. I incorporated the research into the cookbook by emphasizing that access to healthy foods is a privilege that many people worldwide do not have access too.
Results
Throughout my research process, I recognized how there are many different perspectives and approaches to having access to produce and healthy foods. As I was researching and taking notes, I wanted the research proportion to feel that you were reading something other than an extended essay. Narrowing down the focus and the direction I wanted my capstone to go was diffcult while fitting the format for the final product. The result of my research was an article-like essay in the cookbook. The main goal of the research was to educate rather than ramble with an essay.
The research I conducted was not surprising. I knew there was significant nationwide accessibility to food. The main topics in my essay were access to produce and healthy foods and the factors that restricted people from getting them. I kept asking myself: What else can be done for people nationwide to access healthy food and fresh produce?
The google document is a draft of my research and the process of conducting research throughout the program.
Project Experience
I was able to create a cultural cookbook that has some of my favorite family recipes. Throughout the project, I connected with family members to ask for advice and help perfect the recipes. I translated other documents from Spanish into English to incorporate them into the final product cookbook. I compiled the list of the ingredients by memory. The cookbook includes some of my favorite Puerto Rican recipes. I briefly described each recipe and what it meant to me. Memories are attached to these recipes. Learning through culture and experience through food is one of the many goals of this capstone project. Cooking is an authentic experience for an individual and creates a unique experience among community members. In the future, I would like to open my restaurant in memory of my great mother, and a special thank you to my family for pushing me daily to follow my passion.
Impact of Project
The impact of the capstone project was an enrichment process. I connected with family and other advisors about their experience and what food means to them. Throughout the college process, I connected with many of my aunts for advice about the history of the recipes. I loved the outcome of the final product, and it will be presented below. I want to create a paper copy in the future.
Future Plans
Final Product
Use this QR code or via this link to access the final product! I hope you enjoy this cookbook.
Thank You!
I want to thank my advisor, Mr. Matt, and the capstone program for allowing me to work to create something I am passionate about to share with the Moorestown Friends Community. I am incredibly grateful for the experience I was able to generate the final product that I am proud of. My family has been a tremendous help with support for the capstone project!
Out-Reach
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to bri.iveliz145@gmail.com.