Social work students are often challenged during their coursework to bridge the divide between the professional and the personal as they develop the skill sets to connect with clients and make a difference in the lives of vulnerable populations. Delving into the personal also aids in self-awareness about personal strengths and challenges that affect social work practice. With this in mind, Associate Teaching Professor Vicky Verano encouraged social work graduate students in her Loss and Bereavement class to share personal memories about loved ones who had passed away.

Classmates shared a variety of personal stories, but one theme continued to come up. 2nd year MSW student Adrienne Capeless admits that with food always on the brain, it did not go unnoticed when her classmates would repeatedly share food-based memories when reminiscing about loved ones.

“I remember since I was a child the value of family recipes,” she said about her memories connected to food. “My grandmother was an excellent and avid cook, who passed down recipes to my mother and her two sisters. Her recipes are a cherished heirloom in my family.”

Adrienne also confided that she has a whole bookshelf at her house dedicated to cookbooks and takes comfort in looking through them and the memories they inevitably bring to mind. With a strong interest in the culinary arts and inspiration provided by her classmates, Adrienne decided to embark on a project exploring loss and bereavement through food. “They inspired me to keep alive memories of loved ones who have impacted us through food in the form of a cookbook,” Adrienne reflected.

With encouragement from her instructor Vicky Verano, she decided to share her idea with the class. Overall feedback from the class was enthusiastic, and she asked each of them to contribute a recipe that held special significance to them. “Without their willingness to share personal stories in class, this cookbook would not have been possible.”

Adrienne then took the project a step further with the support of her father. She prepared the cookbook and had it printed at a local FedEx store so that each classmate and her instructor would have a personal copy.

She sees this experience and this particular class as heightening her awareness of the experience of grief and loss by any population she might work as a clinical social worker. “We discuss the idea of universality often within the MSW program. There are feelings and events that link us together, alleviating some feelings of isolation,” she explained. “It is impossible to go through life without experiencing a loss at some point. Loss and bereavement are universal experiences and feelings that affect us all and should be discussed and explored in and out of the classroom.”

Adrienne hopes to continue to address loss and bereavement after graduation working with youth and teens affected by trauma. Click a link below to view a copy of the cookbook.