Grace was born in Miami but spent much of her childhood with her grandparents in Venezuela, where, like with many Latin cultures, the spirit behind home-cooked meals is an act of love in its own right. This spirit is something Grace has taken with her on her own food journey. “I show my love through food, just like my grandmother, my great-grandmother and my grandfather did,” she notes. “Food, for me, became a great vehicle of being connected to my culture.”
“I’ve been very privileged to travel across the States,” she says. “Food deserts are a real thing, and that, to me, has been shocking.” Adding more proof to the pudding (or pomegranate guac) that she believes in food as an agent of global change, she has an appetite for sustainability and limiting food waste, both of which are primary focuses in her work with the United Nations’ Act Now campaign. The Grace Ramirez Instagram, Twitter and website serve to reinforce this creative kind-heartedness. She shares cooking tips just as often as anecdotes about her philanthropic efforts with countless organizations. Working with the likes of World Central Kitchen, Woman Kind, Healthier Generation and Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos, to name a few, she shows no sign of stopping. So, if it feels genuine during this episode of “Heart to Table” when she says, “I’m all about heart and food,” that’s because it is.
Always Learning
Grace shares several more genuine moments in the Heart To Table podcast, including ones that can resonate with professional and novice chefs alike. “The kitchen is so humbling,” says Grace, “because you never stop learning.” For instance, she mentions making her own kimchi, asserting she’s not great at it. But she maintains her excitement about the process, and is giving herself time to get it right even when it’s difficult. In this way, Grace is an example of her own gospel. Cooking is for everyone, and she is ready to hold you accountable for it. A nurturer of curiosity, she encourages people to get in the kitchen, because nowadays, there’s no excuse not to. Between internet recipes and Zoom cooking classes, Grace knows fostering your taste buds’ sense of adventure has never been easier, and it allows for more human connection and personal growth.
Toward the end of the episode, March asks Grace what she might say to listeners who are intimidated by cooking. “Gather your family. Do Zoom calls,” Grace answers. “Have support, but do it. Make it fun.”
