National Security Language Initiative for Youth

Long before managing the daily operations of Our American Cuisine, Seth began his culinary education like countless others, cooking along to Julia Child’s classic The French Chef at the age of twelve.

In the high school years, Math Team, Orchestra, and Classwork dominated. A career in the food world was off the table. Seth made his way to New Jersey for college and majored in East Asian Studies. With summers spent studying Mandarin in Beijing and interning at the Natural Resources Defense Council, Seth seemed set on changing the world through Paperwork.

But digging through the stacks at Firestone Library, Seth found himself researching a topic that few in academia have explored: food. His senior thesis, “Tasting Communism: Comrade Cooker and the Politics of Eating in Mao’s China, 1949–1965,” promptly appeared.

Before graduating summa cum laude from Princeton University, Seth returned to home and hearth as the Covid-19 pandemic surged. While quarantining with his family, Seth’s conceptual interrogation of Chinese foodways morphed into a course on culinary technique as taught by the Culinary Institute of America, Jacques Pépin, J. Kenji López-Alt, and Samin Nosrat, in book-form. After a year of training, he was ready for the Internet.

Seth founded Our American Cuisine in 2021 alongside Alex, his brother. The website draws inspiration from the myriad cultural and culinary traditions that make up our nation. In addition to the culinary arts, Seth’s creative work encompasses writing, comedy, and digital media production.

Madeline St. John is a program coordinator at the Pan American Development Foundation (PADF), a nonprofit organization committed to economic and social development in Latin America and the Caribbean. At PADF, Madeline works on a variety of initiatives, including recovery efforts for survivors of the earthquake in the south of Haiti and a collaborative effort with a Haitian recycling company to create economic opportunities in Haiti through recycling. She participates regularly in PADF’s Economic Opportunities community of practice and enjoys learning about new ways to promote sustainable and inclusive economic development. In 2021, she had the opportunity to participate in the Americas Competitiveness Exchange, a networking event for economic development and innovation in the Americas.

Madeline holds a B.A. degree from Goucher College, where she double majored in Spanish and English literature and minored in creative writing. While at Goucher, she completed Goucher’s International Scholars program, edited the student newspaper, and tutored in the Baltimore prison system. She is a member of the United Church of Christ and spent a year in the DC-based UCC Westmoreland Service Corps intentional living community.

Madeline grew up in O`ahu, Hawaii, in a biracial family. In 2013, she had the opportunity to participate in a National Security Language Initiative for Youth trip to Jiaxing, China. This experience solidified her desire to learn more about and from other people, places, and cultures in our increasingly interconnected world.