Ep. 18: Aileen Suzara (Pt. 2) - Farmer, Collaborator, & Chef on Resistance, Decolonizing Food, & Dirty Socks

If this is the first time you’re tuning in, you might want to check out the previous episode as this is part two of a two-part series with the ever-impressive Aileen Suzara, farmer, writer, collaborator, educator, and natural chef. Aileen has been recognized many times for her work not only in addressing some of the most pressing food issues affecting us today but also for strengthening relationships in her community in the process. She founded Sariwa - which means “fresh” in Tagalog - to gather community and celebrate Filipino cuisine through pop-ups, catering, and workshops. In the last episode, we covered her background and how she’s managed to integrate the many parts of her life into one cohesive story. We also covered some basic techniques to become a self-sufficient cook and her mindsets in both growing and cooking food.

In this episode, we delve a bit deeper into Sariwa and Aileen's dream to integrate food into the healthcare space. We also take a philosophical look into the theme of “Resistance” (resistance to healthy food, “inauthentic” food, etc.), maintaining presence and sanity, and the things that keep us from achieving our dreams. Like I said, this was one of my most enjoyable episodes to record and edit and I highly suggest you listen to the end as Aileen has some pretty sage advice that applies not just to food but to life itself.