hello
Continuing our series, People of the Neighborhood Resilience Project, meet Ms. Lesia, one of our beloved cooks!
“I grew up with my twin sister in the Hill District. We were born in ‘63. We went to A. Leo Weil school, then Fifth Avenue, and Brashear High School. I quit school there, and then I got my GED. Me and my sister both did. Then I went to Sawyer School of Business, and my sister went to school in Media for healthcare.
Back then, I was also a part of the NAACP. They had a real beauty contest years ago. Some girl named Sabrina McBride won, and I was the first runner up. And then they had a magazine called Top magazine, and I competed in some things and I won the title Miss Top. That was way back. And then I grew up, and I got married when I was 21 or 22, but my husband died a year later.
After that, I started my career. I never went to school for cooking, but my mother taught me how. I started in her restaurant, but it didn’t go anywhere. So, I started cooking and managing in various restaurants. But when I was like 51 I got sick and had to have my hips replaced, and that put my career on hold. Later I made another career choice through the Urban League of Pittsburgh, and that’s how I ended up here. This is where I found my truth – my parish, my new church, my new family.”