Three comfort food recipes by recent culinary school graduates compiled together by Klipsun writer Carlee Schram.

Design by Elliot Fogarty.

Food can be the ultimate pick-me-up, whether you’ve had a bad day or that constant Washington rain has got you feeling under the weather. Comfort food does exactly what it sounds like – comfort you – and for me that looks like a bowl of creamy, buttery macaroni and cheese. For 22-year-old culinary grad Aaron Garcia, there’s nothing better than fresh home-cooked chilaquiles and salsa verde. 

In search of the ultimate comfort food recipes to make it through this fall, I invited Garcia and two of his former classmates from the Bellingham Technical College culinary arts program to share some joy in the form of food. They were told to pick a dish that inspired true happiness within them – the ultimate comfort food – and prepare it for me. 

As they cooked and enjoyed their so-called happy meals, they gave me some insight into how their chosen dish came to hold such power and where the recipes originated from.