Matthew Patty, Farmland, IN

I was told about the Indiana Foodways Alliance Business Fellows project from one of my professors. I went to him to ask about doing an independent study course in geographic information systems (GIS) since I am finished with all of the offered courses. He told me about the project, and I thought that it would be a way for me to keep my GIS knowledge fresh in my mind as well as learn some new things along the way.

When I found out what the project was all about, it interested me more. I have always liked to cook. When I was younger, Mom and Dad both had to work during the week, which meant if I wanted a snack, I was the one that had to make it. Ever since then, I have enjoyed cooking and learning new things to cook. Cooking at home carried over to my first job.

During high school and the first couple of years of college, I worked at a restaurant in my hometown called The Chocolate Moose. At first I was a waiter, but soon found that I liked cooking more than waiting tables. I was trained on the grill and soon was allowed to run the restaurant while the bosses were gone. I was complemented on my cooking many times by customers who gave me the motivation to do well and keep the product as satisfactory as possible.

Occasionally, I watch the Food Network. The only two shows I watch are “Good Eats” and “Unwrapped.” “Good Eats” is a show that shows the science behind cooking and the food that we eat and how the ingredients work together to create a dish. “Unwrapped” is a show that goes behind the scenes of many popular commercially produced products and shows how they are made.

It’s hard to narrow down my favorite foods. I really like Mexican and Italian types of food. Fajitas are my favorite Mexican food. When it comes to Italian food, I pretty much like it all. I also like American food. Chicken and dumplings, steak, and fried chicken are my top three out of this category.

I get along well with people, and I’m willing to learn from others in order to complete a task. I have completed all of my GIS courses and understand how to map spatial locations through the use of a database. I hope to learn how to publish maps on the Internet and to increase my knowledge in making static maps interactive for the public to use. I look forward to working on this project and creating a product that will be useful for the public as well as the IFA.