For as long as she can remember, Fairfield Union High School senior Isabel Rodriguez has been drawn to the kitchen. Her mother has pictures of her at just three years old, apron on, spoon in hand, cooking away. That early love of food led her to Eastland-Fairfield’s Culinary Arts program, where she’s taken her passion to new heights, most recently by creating her own Bolivian-inspired menu for The Heritage Room, the program’s student-run restaurant.
Isabel shares a photo from her trip to Bolvia where she and other family members sit down to a meal featuring an authentic Bolivian dish.
Her connection to Bolivia runs deep—her father is Bolivian, and she recently spent a month there with her grandmother, immersing herself in the culture and, most importantly, the food. Though the language barrier was challenging, she found that food became its own form of communication.
So when given the chance to design a menu, she knew exactly what she wanted to share: homestyle Bolivian dishes that reminded her of family. The menu featured a fish stew served with rice called Sudado de Surubí, Keperí, a beef dish taken from the lower rib paired with Yucca fritas and arroz that her stepmother often made, and Salteñas—savory pastries similar to empanadas but baked instead of fried. For dessert, she recreated a special cookie her dad gave her on her first night in Bolivia—sugar cookies layered with caramel and coated in coconut. She had made them before, but this time, she wanted to do it the authentic way.
As the student manager for the week, she balanced time in the kitchen with time on the restaurant floor, greeting guests and making sure everything ran smoothly. The experience reinforced what she already knew—this is exactly where she’s meant to be.
Next year, she’ll continue her culinary journey at Columbia College in Vienna, Virginia, before heading to the Culinary Institute in Bolivia. But no matter where she goes, she knows food will always connect her to home.
Pictured here is a stew that was featured on Isabel's Bolivian-inspired menu.