I'm still processing the fact that when I dropped this kiddo at college on Friday, his relationship to home forever changed. (As did mine: there's now a Jack-sized hole waiting to filled on his first break). Over at our Substack newsletter, I wrote about this monumental move through the lens of food. The impetus was a pang of worry I had when we stepped into the cafeteria, full of the cutest kids all eager as hell for their parents to leave, eating blah veggie burgers and turkey wraps. Would Jack figure out how to MacGyver these institutionalized meals to make something super delicious? Seek out kitchens on campus to cook dinners with friends? And, more importantly, did I do my job as a mom and leave him with the real lessons—not the techniques, which I’m pretty confident he has down—but the essential life lessons that make food so much more than than just meals? So I wrote up 10 such food lessons that couldn't be more important to me, ones I know will benefit any kid stepping into life on their own. (Link in the bio if you’re interested 👆💛) Then, this morning, I woke up to this amazing text: "if ur coming by tmr i need Clothes, Chef knife, Ethernet cord, pot/pan, extra butter and cheese" and I got the feeling it was all going to be okay.