Cooking for Those Who Serve

June 3, 2026

Rocky Hill Fire Department Station 2

Tonight is one of those nights where cooking means a little more.

I have the opportunity to cook dinner for a group of volunteer firefighters in Rocky Hill. Men and women who give their time to serve their community and are there when people need them most.

Tonight, I get to serve them.

And of course, if I’m cooking dinner, nobody is leaving hungry.

We’re starting with prosciutto wrapped melon with a balsamic glaze and crostini topped with whipped honey and a little red pepper flake.

For dinner, I’m making pork tenderloin with a garlic honey pan sauce, roasted garlic potatoes, honey glazed carrots and green beans with a shallot, white wine and lemon reduction. A fresh salad with Parmigiano Reggiano, red onion, cherry tomatoes and cucumber, along with fresh baked rolls rounds everything out.

Nothing overly fancy. Just good food, made from scratch, for some very deserving people.

Tonight also comes at a time when I personally need this.

I recently attended the memorial for a friend, and getting into the kitchen and cooking for other people is exactly where I need to be. There is something about cooking for others that clears my head. You focus on the food, the people around you and the reason you’re there.

I’ve said it before, but giving back is probably one of the best ways I know to make yourself feel better. It can be pretty cathartic.

Food has a funny way of doing that.

It gets people around a table. Starts conversations. Gives everyone a little break from everything else going on in life.

Tonight is simply my small way of saying thank you to a group of people who are there when their community needs them.

And if I can do that with a pork tenderloin, some homemade rolls and a whole bunch of dirty pans…

I’m in.

Bringing people together, one bite at a time.