Brooklyn, New York, with Manhattan visible in the background.
A Recipe for Resilience: Reflecting on 9/11 on The Elsa Kurt Show
I recently had the absolute pleasure of sitting down with Elsa Kurt on The Elsa Kurt Show to discuss my inspirational memoir, Cooking Inspired: Design Your Dish, Design Your Life. While our conversation centered around using the art of cooking to design your life intentionally, the timing of our chat brought a deeply personal, solemn milestone to the forefront. We are entering the season of remembrance, looking ahead to the upcoming 25th anniversary of the September 11th tragedy.
As a 9/11 survivor who was evacuated from Tower Two, this is a part of my story. I do not share it often. However, because I dedicated an intimate chapter of my book to this world-changing event, Elsa gently asked if I would be willing to open up about it.
Even after twenty-five years, speaking about that morning remains incredibly difficult. For myself, for fellow survivors, and for the countless families struck by the agonizing grief of losing loved ones. It is a deeply uncomfortable topic. Yet, Elsa’s immense grace and sensitivity made me feel okay enough to share my experience.
Through the lens of my memoir, we discussed how we can take the absolute rawest, most shattered ingredients of our lives and somehow find the strength to rebuild, design, and move forward. Below, I am sharing the video clips from this special interview segment. I hope my story offers hope to anyone working through their own unexpected hardships.
As we reflect on this milestone, please take a moment to watch the clips below. Above all, let us unite in our promise to honor the lives lost, the heroes who ran toward danger, and #NeverForget.