Award-winning culinary student Ezrah Hanson will be the first to tell you that serving others is in his blood. His name means "helper" in Hebrew, so perhaps it was his destiny to grow up in a family that operated a bustling traveler’s hostel and working farm on forty acres of land.
The 20-year-old is now set to graduate A-B Tech in May and has been honored with a state Academic Excellence Award given to one outstanding student at each of the state's community colleges each year.
This year has been a whirlwind for Hanson. In addition to being a full-time student, he works as a server at Chai Pani and operates his own mobile coffee shop, “Two Birds, One Scone”, which he takes to events, including the Montford Park Players’ outdoor performances. He was also chosen by chef instructor Chris Bugher to be the culinary team captain, and he and his four teammates recently won the regional American Culinary Federation (ACF) Competition. They head to Las Vegas in July to compete for the national title.
Hanson’s story is steeped in creativity, community, and campfire smoke. When he was seven, Hanson’s parents started an Airbnb community in Attalla, Alabama, that they called “Nomad’s Land”. Made up quirky lodgings including a renovated school bus, train caboose, and tree house, the Hanson family hosted many home-cooked meals for their guests over the seven years they lived onsite. From the time he was seven, Hanson, the oldest of four, helped his mom in the kitchen. Over time, the community morphed into a more permanent intentional community, made up of several families who shared caretaking work such as feeding chickens, gardening, and cooking meals.
“It was a really great setup,” Hanson said. “I enjoyed having families living in the same space like a neighborhood; being able to wake up and spend time with my friends and working together as a team.”
In addition to their home setup, a couple of times a year, Hanson and his family would attend Rainbow Gatherings, widely attended hippie festivals that meet in National Forests, where the family would operate a tent and cook and serve communal food together. It was all the perfect training ground for a culinary career, though it would take Hanson a while to realize that. He admits that he fell into studying culinary arts at A-B Tech almost by accident.
Having been home-schooled, Hanson took high school classes at the college as a dual-enrolled student. After graduating, he enrolled in A-B Tech's Associate of Arts program, though he was unsure about his future plans. At the time, he was working a food service job that required him to take a food safety course. In signing up for it, he learned more about the culinary program and decided it might be a good fit.
“I was like, I have all of the 'gen ed' (general education) classes done and it’s not that many more credits to do the whole program,” He said, adding, “My mom encouraged me to jump into it."
Hanson admits that his transition into the culinary program was challenging at first. One day during his first semester, he was asked to make four soups in four hours as part of a cooking lab. “We had from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. to do the four soups and all the prep,” He said. “I learned then to come in early. Early is on time; on time is late.”
Since then, Hanson seemingly has conquered time management. When trying out for the culinary team in September, Hanson had 30 minutes to prepare a meal and finished with seven minutes to spare. Soon after this, Chef Chris Bugher, the team’s coach, chose him as captain, citing his organizational skills and natural leadership abilities.
Food for Hanson isn’t just about the act of cooking; it’s a way to show he cares. Whether serving a meal to guests at Nomad’s Land or to a partner in a romantic relationship, he said, “I like to show that I’m making [someone] comfortable in cooking for them.”
His hard work this year has paid off. Cathy Horton, Chair of Hospitality Management and Culinary Arts, said she nominated Hanson for the Academic Excellence Award because she recognized in him natural skills in time management and organization.
"He excels at paperwork for his labs and takes on a natural leadership role among his peers. He creates detailed, well-thought-out timelines and is always going above and beyond expectations," she said.
After he graduates, Hanson intends to spend a year completing A-B Tech’s Baking and Pastry certificate. He’d then like to spend time in Chicago, which he said has the most Michelin-star restaurants in the nation, making connections and gaining restaurant experience. Ultimately, he’d like to plant his roots and turn his mobile coffee cart into a brick-and-mortar café.
In the meantime, it’s clear the young opportunist is excited to take on new growth experiences. In July, he and his teammates will be heading to Las Vegas to compete with teams across the country in the ACF’s national competition. After that, the world is his oyster.
“It’s always a ‘no’ until you ask,” He said. “Don’t rob yourself of an experience. If you don’t ask, they’re not going to tell you ‘yes."
Scroll down to see more photos of Hanson and his family from over the years.
