We’ve all got needs. As human beings, we have five basic needs for survival: oxygen, water, food, shelter, and sleep. But to grow, develop, and thrive, we need relationships and social interaction; we need education and knowledge; we need infrastructures and systems; and we need currencies and trade, among so many other needs. Even looking more closely at our basic need for food, as we have evolved, so too has our understanding of what foods we need, especially given our differing dietary requirements, food allergies and sensitivities, and health conditions and illnesses.

Food brings people together. Whether it’s a group of culinary students testing out the perfect pie crust, hungry dinner guests crowding around a buffet table, or market shoppers gathering over bushels of just-ripe heirloom tomatoes, cooking builds community.

Kayleigh Walsh was a student in the Natural Gourmet Institute's Chef's Training Program and a 2017 recipient of the Live Más Scholarship, which is awarded by the Taco Bell Foundation to top innovators, creators and dreamers nationwide.

With its signature green splotches, kabocha squash is prized for its sweet, nutty flavor and creamy texture. Enjoy it warm straight from the baking pan, or dress it up with bitter radicchio ribbons, juicy pomegranate seeds and toasted pecans.