Food insecurity is not an easy topic to bring up at the dinner table, even though one in three people in San Diego County is food insecure.

Our past determines our present and our present is what shapes our future, therefore, taking the initiative to highlight an issue that at one point of my life was a topic at the dinner table became a personal project I was ready to tackle. 

As a current student of San Diego City College, taking part in Hunger Action Days and hosting #CityCookingChallenge became a bi-monthly fun experience that will continue as the Spring 2021 semester wraps up and summer semester starts. 

City College’s Hunger Action Day takes place every first Tuesday and third Monday of the month from 12-2 p.m. or until food runs out. It started as a response to having the campus food pantry closed following the COVID-19 shutdown in March 2020. Marciano Perez, dean of student affairs, had a decision to make – and he kept the pantry open drive-thru style. 

“This pandemic has enlightened and illuminated how much food insecurities we have in our community of students,” he said. 

Food is available for all students, classified professionals, faculty, and community members of City College. All participants must stay in their cars. Food will be loaded directly in the trunk or backseat of the vehicle by volunteers, according to the website.

Food is happiness, love, culture, experience and much more. The action of cooking brings us together and I want to share with you my top five best #CityCookingChallenge dishes I have made this spring 2021 semester.

The videos can be viewed now on IGTV or will be released daily starting today on youtube.com/sdcitytimes.

• Apple pie, my personal favorite thus far.
• The next contender would have to be the French-inspired croque monsieur – deliciously cheesy.
• Following that, southern-inspired home fries.
• If creamy soups are your thing, try this asparagus recipe — it’s calorie-filled.
• And for the fancy folks, check out this pick-two style Panera-like tuna melt.