Food can be about comfort, craft, or even culture.

But in Bridget Washington's new memoir, it's about survival.

Her book traces her unlikely journey into the culinary world, one marked by loss, uncertainty,

and questions of identity.

Jeff Bennett recently spoke with Washington about that book, Salt, Sweat, and Steam.

It's part of our arts and culture series, Canvas.

Bridget Washington, welcome to the News Hour.

Thank you for having me.

This memoir, it starts with this high-stakes cooking exam, a real trial by fire.

Why start there?

What did that moment reveal about who you were becoming?

I started there because it really honed in on why I was there.

And at the time, it was a bad breakup and a leap first, look second, decision to attend the nation's top culinary school.

And I didn't recognize myself.

Like many other young people in my 20s, I felt adrift professionally.

And food has always been my anchor and also helped me accountable. And so I decided this would be a good decision to pursue something that I've loved for a very long time professionally until I actually

had to be there. Well, right, you said in the book, the decision to go to culinary school,

it followed right after a breakup.

And you wrote, the only way to take myself out of this emotional fire was to walk directly into a physical one.

What did the kitchen offer you that your life in that moment could not?

That's a good question, because the kitchen has always been that safe space as a child growing

up in Trinidad, cooking at my mother's side, helping her pick herbs outside, cilantro,

...