Intern Spotlight: Adam Gooch and Rina Lee
September 5, 2024
Foodwise relies on volunteers and interns to help with education programs, and other activities that help fulfill our mission to grow thriving communities through the power and joy of local food. Learn more about internships here and volunteer opportunities here.
This summer, Adam Gooch and Rina Lee supported our Foodwise Kids field trip program, welcoming summer campers to the farmers market, while bringing their enthusiasm for local food and early nutrition education to our visiting students.
“Rina’s ability to listen to students’ needs and adjust on the fly ensured each student felt they could build their own experience,” says Foodwise Youth Education Manager Marcelo Clark. “Rina was always excited to create meaningful connections with the students, which made each class fun.”
He continues, “Adam showed exceptional leadership in engaging the younger students. Their ability to always keep the students on task and maintain their interest fostered a fun and safe environment for our students.” Meet Adam and Rina.
Foodwise: Where does your food interest come from?
Adam: I’ve always loved food and I’ve always loved history. Being Filipino, it’s hard not to love food because of how integrated eating is into our culture and my family. But I think the process of growing food and cooking can be very meditative.
Rina: My interest in food began developing during my childhood. I have many great memories of cooking and sharing food with my family. One beautiful memory is camping by the river, where we cooked Japanese curry, yakisoba noodles, and steamed rice over and over every summer. My younger brother and I helped my parents chill tomatoes and watermelon in the river and seasoned them with a pinch of salt. My parents taught me the beauty of simplicity in cooking. After growing up, I realized that my favorite childhood memories were all associated with food. I also started being conscious about how the food we eat affects our health since I had severe atopic dermatitis throughout my childhood. During my childhood, my parents helped me think about food choices by recommending that I try new teas or avoid specific foods. That influenced me to be more aware of food and nutrition in my everyday life.
Foodwise: What do you do when you aren’t interning for Foodwise?
Adam: In my free time I usually read, make music, or cook. Ideally I would be working.
Rina: When I’m not interning for Foodwise, I spend most of my time studying, as I’m a Nutritional Sciences student. I also just started volunteering at a local senior home where I help serve lunch meals to seniors—it’s rewarding to see their smiles. In my free time, I love being in nature. I love going camping and hiking in Marin. I also like making fermented food, such as miso and kimchi. One of my goals in the near future is to sell homemade miso at farmers markets!
Foodwise: Why did you choose to intern with us at this time?
Adam: At the summer there is a lot of opportunity since there is no school. I also had the opportunity to work with kids, which is another thing that I quite enjoy doing, so that was another motivator for me to intern.
Rina: In my community nutrition class at university, I learned how important early childhood nutrition education is for one’s later life. Also, learning about nutrition/food equity made me want to support local communities, especially those with a low socio-economic status. Foodwise appealed to me as I believe in their mission of empowering the new generation of healthy eaters by providing educational opportunities at farmers’ markets. I chose to intern with Foodwise Kids to support providing a place to teach students about the nutritional benefits of fruits and vegetables and to increase their curiosity about food.
Foodwise: What has been most rewarding about your experience with Foodwise?
Adam: Learning from the conversations that I have had with different people, such as how kimchi is made, or the conditions that mushrooms grow best in, or how community city farms function, are some conversations that I won’t forget.
Rina: The most rewarding aspect for me was watching the interactions between students and farmers during the Foodwise Kids tours. Although some students were shy about talking to farmers, there were always some students who were willing to bring questions to farmers for their classmates. I loved watching kids learn fun facts about fruits and vegetables from farmers and engaging with others at the market. That made me realize the value of the farmers market for students and the sense of community that Foodwise offers.
Foodwise: What does Foodwise mean to you?
Adam: Foodwise gave me the opportunity to network and meet with people that I definitely didn’t think I would have met without them, so I am very thankful for that.
Rina: To me, Foodwise is a way to connect with people in the community, share our interest in food, support each other in developing our curiosity about food, and recognize the local community that grows fruits and vegetables for us.
Foodwise: Any favorite farmers market foods or home meal prep tips you want to share?
Adam: Sumac and zataar is a really good combination on anything but especially corn and chicken. I stole that from Marcelo.
Rina: My favorite place to buy stone fruit is from Rojas Family Farm. Ever since I had their fruit, especially cherry plums, I have been obsessed with them. This summer, I enjoyed eating chilled white peaches with arugula and burrata cheese. I love drizzling olive oil, sprinkling sea salt, and squeezing lemon on top. It’s a perfect summer treat!
Topics: Volunteers and Interns