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I am a Kentucky native from Louisville, living in Lexington since 2006. I attended the University of Kentucky for my four year degrees in Spanish and Sociology--completed in 2010. As part of this undergraduate work, I had the opportunity to travel to Europe and South America, learning about language, the world, and myself. I went on to meet my future wife at UK in a graduate seminar while earning a Master's Degree in Sociology in 2012. While completing these degrees, I also worked as a Research Assistant in the department. In autumn 2012, after finishing my M.A., I started a job in the Department of Horticulture at UK where I was tasked with bringing on-the-ground organization and continuity to the Jacobsen Lab. At the same time, I taught Sociology in the evenings at the university. After nearly 3 years of directing and educating students and employees, working on a team, and growing vegetables for research, I took another step in my career. In May 2015, I accepted a position as the Senior Extension Associate with the Center for Crop Diversification and Kentucky SARE Program. You can read all the details of my work here, and my current personal and professional goals are here.
My wife, Annie is working to become a registered dietitian nutritionist. We love to cook/eat/drink, host parties, work on the house, lift weights, read and learn. We have joined the Fitbit cult, so we sometimes insanely walk circles through our house to get more "steps" before bed. Below you can see a few of my more "defined" interests. If you have more questions, you'd like to hang out, or you think I might fit with your business or organization, shoot me an email. I'd love to meet up. |
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Garden
My wife, Annie and I grow a large garden. We focus on food for us and food and habitat for pollinators and wildlife. To see more, check out the Garden Gallery. |
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Bread
2015 launched my bread baking obsession. It's a fun blend of food, science, and art. I use local-ground Weisenberger Mill flour in all my loaves, and I am experimenting with Sourdough and other wild-fermented breads. To see more, check out the Bread Gallery. |
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Woodworking
Wood is a beautiful and dynamic medium that can provide equal parts beauty and frustration. The picture below show my first piece of furniture--a coffee table in cherry, walnut and mahogany. It's far from perfect, but I learned so much from the process of making it and I am encouraged by how it turned out. I love this work because it requires mental acuity, creativity in design, and an eye both for what "looks good" will actually stand up to use. To see more, check out the Wood & Stone Gallery. |
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Music
I have been singing in school choirs since I was in first grade, but in 2006 I started playing the guitar. Since then, I have kept up with playing, writing, and singing; I played music for several of my friends' weddings and occasionally get a paying gig around Lexington. I am also a Youtube sensation (which is to say, I get a few views on the original song and cover song videos I post). |
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Cooking and Eating
Like many people, I have been cooking with my family for my whole life. Living with a future dietitian has added layers of both flavor and nutrition to my understanding of food. We eat a plant-based diet with the aim of reducing our environmental and social impact. Growing vegetables in my current job has made me value fresh produce much more than I would have otherwise. Eating fresh in-season food allows me to incorporate the freshest flavors and highest volume of nutrients into my food. Since produce is not always in-season, we do our best to offset our grocery shopping in winter by canning and drying foods throughout the summer. It can be hard and time-consuming work, but a Kentucky July tomato sauce in January makes it worth it. |
Some Dill Pickles and Pickled Beets
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