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All grown up! AuCo is a young woman that became a part of our family when she became sadly estranged from hers. After finishing her day at university, we were able to provide her with support, and a place to have dinner, which we did nightly.

She folded into the fabric of our family easily and brilliantly, especially in the kitchen. This girl was marinating and grilling pork chops like I had never seen. Her cooking skills more than matched the foodie cook in me, and it was fun to see what she would put down on a plate. And because it was not mom-food, my kids held a better attitude about trying the new things AuCo offered.

I recently attended a dinner she created at Curaté, a restaurant in Asheville, North Carolina where she was representing the Lee Initiative, which offers opportunities for women chefs from Kentucky. We had a outstanding meal of sustainable foods like grilled radicchio, octopus, and trout. The preparation and creation of these foods ranged from simple to complex, but all were delicious.

The best part was sharing this with AuCo and hearing her share the stories surrounding the dishes. Like how she met every farmer, picked every vegetable, prepared the seafood, sliced the meats, and more. Essentially she shared an experience with us that embraced her gifts and future, a gift we saw many years ago.

Besides wowing restaurant crowds, AuCos heart is to feed the homeless and to know her passion behind this and the volunteer hours she has lead in this arena is more than heart-warming. It's inspiring, and what I see more and more in her generation. Millennials are clearly moving forward and servicing those whose voice needs to heard.

We have many options to enhance that voice on the air and all things social. I'd love to know what's on your menu!

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