About FoodFirst

A federal worker by day, home chef by night, for years I have been turning to cooking as a daily meditation, creative outlet, and, of course, a source of nourishment for me and my family. I have also always loved sharing the food that I cook as well as the discoveries I make in the kitchen.

Being let go of my federal job in early 2025 gave me an opportunity to re-think my life goals and focus on what brings me joy. I started FoodFirst Culinary School to share my love of cooking delicious, healthy food and to help people find their inner chef. The idea behind this school is simple - everyone likes to eat good food, but not everyone likes or can afford to eat out for financial or health reasons.

While I was privileged to grow up in a household where we cooked delicious, healthy meals from scratch every day, not everyone can say the same. I think of cooking as a language - you need to learn it to be able to speak it, and you need to practice it to be fluent. You can pick it up by osmosis when, as a kid, you helped your parent or grandparent cook, and then you can decipher new recipes and expand your own cooking vocabulary. It is not as simple to pick up cooking if your parents were too busy to cook and you did not have a chance to learn the basics when growing up.

FoodFirst Culinary School was conceived as a place where we meet culinary learners where they’re at in their cooking experience and offer lessons and resources to build solid skills. We are not just teaching recipes - we are teaching cooking techniques, vocabulary, and a deep understanding of how these recipes come to life. We also offer to bring cooking as a community-building experience to a variety of events, from professional team-building to birthday parties to bridal showers.

I believe that anyone, regardless of their upbringing or circumstances, can learn to cook and enjoy the process and the result. I hope you will join our growing community of cooking enthusiasts!

Elena Walls

June 2025

FoodFirst is a registered LLC with the business license to operate in the District of Columbia