Cooking Up Hope:Vegan Thai; Sri Lanka; French Cooking Course

I’m currently fundraising for a private vegan French cooking course in France, and I’d love your support to help make it happen.

This course is only offered once per month, with each module scheduled in different months. If I choose the group option, I’d have to wait until June next year just to start—and I’d need to travel to France three separate times to complete all the modules. While that option is less expensive, it would delay my plans and purpose by a full year.

To avoid that delay, I’ve been given the opportunity to take the course privately, completing all the modules in just one month. This allows me to fast-track my training and begin implementing what I learn right away. The cost for the private course is £6,700, and I’m actively fundraising to cover it.

This training is part of a larger culinary journey I’m undertaking this year.

Before France, I’ll be in Thailand attending the Asia Region Anti-Trafficking (ARAT) Conference. While there, I’ve enrolled in a five-day Vegan Thai Cooking Course, where I’ll learn to make 32 traditional dishes, curry pastes, sauces, and plant-based staples like tofu and soy milk. That course costs around $1,800 USD, and I’m also fundraising to cover that tuition.

After Thailand, I’ll head to Sri Lanka for three weeks. A generous vegan hotel has offered me an incredible opportunity: for just $33 per day, I’ll receive accommodation along with daily cooking instruction—learning nine local vegan dishes each day, including snacks and desserts. The cooking classes are offered at no additional cost.

So why all of this?

Because I believe food is a powerful tool for healing, empowerment, and restoration. For over a decade, I’ve dedicated my life to advocating for survivors of human trafficking and abuse. I’m a licensed attorney with 11 years of experience, but my work has always gone beyond the courtroom.

I’ve spoken on TEDx stages, appeared on international TV and radio, and volunteered in juvenile detention centers and shelters in the Philippines and Ghana. My mission is to use food, education, and advocacy to bring dignity and second chances to those who need it most.

I studied professional culinary arts and trained internationally, including at the United Nations in Switzerland. I’ve completed courses in pastry, vegetarian, and global cuisines. Now, I’m preparing to launch a vegan food business that provides jobs and hope to survivors of trafficking, the formerly incarcerated, and people experiencing homelessness.

If you believe in the power of second chances and the transformation that can come from a shared meal, I’d be incredibly grateful for your support. Whether you can donate or simply share this post, every little bit helps move this vision forward.

With thanks and hope,