Story of the Month: Cooking Up Connection through “Sazón y Orgullo”

How Eagle Valley Community Foundation and Mountain Pride are building belonging—one meal at a time

A Kitchen Becomes a Community

On a warm March evening in Eagle County, a kitchen filled with the aroma of mushrooms and simmering broth became something more than a place to cook.

It became a place to connect.

On March 10, the second cohort of Sazón y Orgullo | Cooking Up Belonging gathered for their first class—an innovative program led by Eagle Valley Community Foundation (EVCF) in partnership with Mountain Pride. Guided by Chef Rosa Provoste, participants prepared a mushroom risotto together while engaging in meaningful conversation.

This was not just about cooking. It was about belonging.

As participants chopped, stirred, and tasted, they reflected on questions like: What food made you feel loved as a child? Who taught you to cook—and what else did they teach you? What does “home” taste like?

What began as a group of strangers quickly became a circle of storytellers. Conversations unfolded about family traditions, migration, identity, and community, revealing both shared experiences and new perspectives.

Why Belonging Matters

Sazón y Orgullo is part of a broader Belonging Colorado initiative focused on strengthening connection and inclusion across the state.

In Eagle County, this work is especially important. Latinx households are significantly more likely to experience food insecurity, and LGBTQ+ individuals face disproportionately high rates of both isolation and economic instability.

Belonging is more than a feeling, it is a foundation for health, stability, and opportunity. When people feel connected, they are more likely to access resources, support one another, and build lasting roots in the community.

A Powerful Local Partnership

This program reflects the strength of collaboration in Eagle County.

Eagle Valley Community Foundation brings deep expertise in food access, community outreach, and trusted relationships through programs like The Community Market and MIRA. Mountain Pride brings leadership in creating safe, affirming spaces for LGBTQ+ individuals and fostering inclusive community engagement.

Together, they are creating welcoming, bilingual, and culturally responsive spaces where people can show up fully as themselves.

Each participant in the five-part Sazón y Orgullo series explores themes like comfort, celebration, and self-expression through food. Participants leave not only with new skills, but with cooking kits, recipes, and conversation prompts to recreate the experience at home, extending belonging beyond the kitchen and into the community.

Additional meal kits are shared more broadly, ensuring that even more neighbors can participate.

More Than a Meal

At its core, this program is about bridging divides—using food, storytelling, and shared experience to build empathy and connection across cultures and identities.

Because when people gather around a table, something powerful happens.

Barriers soften. Stories surface. Community grows.

At the end of the evening, the risotto was served—but what lingered was something deeper: new friendships, shared laughter, and a sense of being seen.

A reminder that belonging doesn’t require anything elaborate.

Just food. Curiosity. And a willingness to listen.

Get Involved

Interested in learning more or joining a future cohort of Sazón y Orgullo?

Reach out to Gretchen Hovey at gretchen@eaglevalleycf.org to get connected and be added to the list for upcoming opportunities.

Through Sazón y Orgullo, Eagle Valley Community Foundation and Mountain Pride are showing that sometimes the most powerful way to build community is also the simplest:

Start with a meal. Stay for the story.