A Texas teenager who has spent most of his life in the foster care system is using a delicious hobby to help him cope as he waits to find a forever family he can call his own. Born in California, 14-year-old Enoch was placed in the foster care system at age 3. At age 5, he was adopted by a family who moved Enoch to Texas.
Enoch lived with them until he was 12, according to Austin, Texas’ ABC affiliate KVUE. Since then, he has bounced around to various foster homes while he waits to be adopted. Enoch doesn’t know his biological parents and doesn’t have a connection with any members of his extended family, including his siblings.
“I have two little sisters, but the last time I saw them, I was 7. And it was on their birthday, and I never saw them again,” he told KVUE.
But despite the setbacks he’s experienced, the ninth grader has always had a love for cooking and said he’s used it to help him deal with life’s ups and downs.
“I grew up not having that much food,” Enoch said. “ I just love food. I have a good passion for it.”
Enoch takes his passion for cooking seriously, and lives by the motto, “If you ain’t sneezing, it ain’t seasoned.” The folks at KVUE gave him a chance to show off his skills in the kitchen with Texas chef Dylan McShan.
McShan, who made a Mexican seafood dish with Enoch, said he believes the teen has what it takes to be a successful chef one day.
“I really do think cooking can take you wherever you want to go. And if Enoch sticks with it, I really think he can get somewhere with it,” he said. “Cooking is all about instincts, and Enoch has them.”