To Be Seen

I go days…

Weeks…

Months…

Posting content. Pouring my story into the void. Not knowing if anyone is actually listening.

But then something happens.

A message.

A moment.

A mirror I didn’t ask for, held up by someone who saw me—really saw me.

Yesterday, that mirror came from a fellow cook I used to work with—Damon Hebert. Out of nowhere, he messaged me and said I was his Bourdain.

And let me be real—this wasn’t a comparison. That’s not what hit me.

What hit me was this:

To Damon, I was what Bourdain was to so many.

Not because of fame. But because of truth.

Because I dared to tell the story others were too afraid to say out loud.

Because I didn’t wrap my pain in ribbon—I lit it on fire and plated it with purpose.

Because I survived—and made that survival loud.

And in doing that, I left a mark.

See, I don’t do this for clicks.

I don’t do this for comments.

I don’t do this for clout.

I do it for you.

The one person sitting in the dark, scrolling with a heavy heart.

The one who thinks, “Nobody gets it.”

The one who wonders if it’ll ever get better.

If that’s you—I want you to hear this:

You’re not alone.

Not in your cravings.

Not in your chaos.

Not in your healing.

I share my scars, my story, my food…

Because no one did that for me.

And it cracked the silence wide open.

To be seen—it’s not about ego. It’s about connection.

It’s the wind beneath your wings when you’re too tired to flap.

It’s the whisper that says, “Keep going.”

I don’t just cook to feed people. I cook to show them:

There’s life after pain.

There’s purpose in the mess.

And there’s power in choosing to stay.

So if this post landed in your feed today—

It’s not an accident.

You matter.

You’re seen.

You’re not crazy.

You’re not broken.

You’re just healing in real time.

Pull up a seat.

This table was set for you.

#HealingTable #YouAreNotAlone #MentalHealthAwareness #FoodAddictionRecovery #ChefLifeUnfiltered #CraveableObsessed #FloribbeanSoul #SeenAndStillHere