Cydney Shapiro

Q. What is the earliest memory you have ?

My mom's aroma.  She was very cuddly and would wrap herself around me.  She also had a big bosom and it was very comfy.

Q. Who were the biggest influences in your life during your formative years? 

Empowered women doing things they were interested in. My mother had her own business and showed me that fancy degrees weren't needed to sustain a family. My first serious catering boss taught me about working long hours until the job was done.   My ballet teacher was both loving and firm and taught us a lot without saying much.  Very effective.

Q. Did anyone actively mentor you?
No.

Q. At what age did you realize you had a gift for learning and exploring fine cuisine?
17.

Q. What was your motivation to become a cook?

I thought it was a life skill I needed to build, and didn't have much experience.

Q. How do you juggle feeding your soul/being whilst maintaining your maternal practices?

I say no to a lot of things that I could be doing.  I try to model a good life, balancing my needs with external awareness of others' needs and wants.  Time blocking shows me exactly how much time is even available to fulfill my needs once all daily obligations have been met.  I am always learning about the subjects I care about, and I try to encourage my children to realize they are capable of lots of things even if they are just learning about them. I have been conscious of the mother/martyr minefield and in my past, I've definitely suffered from that kind of thinking and dangerous cycles.  I trust that in the future, my kids will appreciate what I did for them and what I did for my own sanity.

Q. What was your biggest challenge as an adult so far?

Learning how triggering others' disappointment is for me, and detaching from the responsibility for those feelings.

Q. How did you over come it?

I tried all kinds of ways to avoid overcoming it.  I put a lot of judgment and resentment on the other person in the midst of trying to help them see that their feelings were too much for me to handle.  I also avoided disappointing people even when I should have said no to their requests.  Eventually this produced an emotional backlash for me that I couldn't avoid until I realized that I wasn't responsible for most people's disappointment or changing those feelings for them.

Q. How has your life changed since then?

I practice dealing with other people's disappointment and noticing that my reaction feels lighter and more accepting than ever before.

Q. What are some daily rituals that you would like to pass down to your children and why?

Getting natural light in the morning - it helps set circadian rhythm for your whole day.

Exercising regularly - it helps your body and brain feel good and ready for anything.

Noticing little things that bring them glimmers of joy - little things are more numerous and it really helps to appreciate what we have

Q. What are some of your important practices in life?

Taking time to slowly wake up and start the day. 

Taking care of the body, the mind and protecting sleep.

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Q. Where is your favorite holiday destination?

Italy.

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Q. Why is it your favorite destination?

Food, scenery, language, slow food movement.

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Q. What brings you the most joy at this time in your life?

Drawing while listening to music and beautiful natural moments.

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Q. If you were able to leave one thought or item in this world that could last through the generations what would it be?

 Make mistakes, they are the best teachers.