Food is a universal need and feeding people is an honorable profession! That’s why Mona Bronson-Fuqua of Je Ne Sais Fuqua LLC is proud to be a chef. She found her passion for cooking and serving up good food later in life and is currently in the running for a “Carla Hall Presents Favorite Chef” award.
Mona contracted with Hamilton County ReSource to provide a meal and education on how to reduce food waste at a community dinner in Carthage. Her key tips include:
Planning your menu ahead of time
Confirming the number of guests and portion sizes
And shopping your pantry before you head to the store.
The purpose of the community dinner was to discuss upcoming food distribution programs at the Hamilton County Fairgrounds on September 26th as part of the continued partnership between Hamilton County ReSource and the Hamilton County Fair.
Why Does Chef Mona Cook?
Mona is inspired to cook because it is her love language and part of her generational inheritance and legacy. “For me, feeding others is a way to support them and show how much I care," says Mona. "When I am creating meals, I am guided by ancestral hands who cooked because it was one of the few options available to them. And my pots are seasoned with our collective wisdom, nutritional legacies, entrepreneurial spirit, and love to feed my generation.”
Now that her passions and her profession are aligned, she is ready to fulfill her purpose, and part of that purpose is teaching more people to cook. Mona teaches classes at La Soupe and is an active educator with the Unity in Community Food Pantry in Hartwell.
Vote for Mona!
Mona can use your votes! She is currently in 5th place. The winner of the Favorite Chef award receives $25,000 which Mona would use to “access and equip dedicated space where we can expand and grow. It would allow us to take on more personal clients, accept more teaching opportunities, and work on content creation, recipe development, and curriculum that will build a culinary business program for aspiring culinarians.”
Chef Mona's Legacy Bowls (A non-recipe)
Ingredients:
Foods that remind you of your heritage or legacy. For example, if your culture is known to eat rice, prepare some rice and top with vegetables and meat that tell the story of your past.
Directions:
Prepare your favorite foods and put them in a bowl!