Freshman, Allan Hartford

ALLAN HARTFORD

The world only feeds those who give back to it. That's the motto of a family who lived in the service industry for generations. In order to live in the giant biological engine that was the world, you needed to be of some use to it. For the Hartford family, it was feeding others in exchange for money. Long time diner owners, the family worked hard to build a name for themselves as one of the countries 'must visit' food service businesses. Allan was born into the most recent generation, and quickly made to learn the realities of the world he lived in. 

Helping in a kitchen isn't too bad, once you've climbed the initial obstacles. It's just a fact of whether you'll sink or swim from the start. Little Allan with his lack of knowledge was thrown into a maelstrom first thing. His father was an excellent cook, but not much could be said for his teaching skills. Learning to cook and serve dishes at such a tender young age would have been scarring if it wasn't for the family environment that the Hartfords made sure to uphold. The child was scolded for failure and rewarded for success, and where older people crumbled from the pressure, Allan succeeded with ease, having experience in chaos that only a veteran receives. All of this before even leaving middle school.

Allan found that his taste for cooking was supplemented by the methods which he used to memorize his dishes. The young cook was a visual learner, one who acquired knowledge by watching rather than listening. In down times where he was able to sit down for a while, the boy took completed dishes and made a habit of sketching them down to minute details, then deconstructing them from there. It was an unorthodox method, but one that trained his hands and mind for future obstacles. 

In middle-school, Allan became known as a king of culture, taking up many interests such as music and traditional art, but always displaying talents in the kitchen. It became a fun little experience for him, going out and learning different crafts and seeing if he could apply them to cooking. Eventually his affinities brought him in the sight of scouts for Regency Academy, and at the end of his middle-school days, he was extended an offer to the prestigious school for talented youths. While his family thought it the natural choice to send him there, thinking of the bright future it entailed, Allan felt it was simply another experience to take with him. Learning new things was always fun.



- Has a scar on his brow from a knife accident in the kitchen

- Is well versed in music, sketch-art, and cooking, but mostly applies himself to the latter of the three.

- Carries a sketchbook full of food dishes he's drawn or thought up. Recipes included with the drawings.

- Enjoys smooth jazz