Most know her as the vivacious restaurateur and executive chef at Bellingham’s popular Cosmos Bistro. We know her to serve guests succulent, satisfying high quality dishes that leave us sated but ready for more.
What most of us don’t know about Cinnamon is her commitment to community service. Where some business owners will ask, “what’s in it for me?” before they commit to helping others, Cinnamon is often eager to help even before she has all of the event’s details. She said recently, “As a small business owner, Bellingham and Whatcom County has supported me. It is my turn to give back.” And, she has! DVSAS, Lydia Place, Growing Veterans, Brigadoon Service Dogs, Growing Alliances, Our TreeHouse, local blood drives, and the Nooksack School District are but a few of the Whatcom County non-profits to benefit from her philanthropy.
This year, the Nooksack School District recently completed new construction that includes a new state-of-the-art commercial kitchen. Through her work with the Whatcom Farm to School project, Cinnamon learned of a need to help Nooksack kitchen staff develop both recipes and culinary skills. This led her to volunteer and create new, healthy recipes that work with commodities, fresh fruit, and vegetables that the school district uses. In addition, she is teaching culinary staff the skills to produce large scale recipes for the school district. She is also working with the culinary team to produce a variety of recipes and uses for leftovers to reduce their overall food costs.
Small business owners who are committed to developing the health of our communities deserve our support. If you haven’t eaten at Cosmos Bistro, give it a try and you won’t be disappointed. Starting in September and continuing through December, Cinnamon has planned a series of beer dinner and/or breakfast events. For more details, keep your eye on the Whatcom Beer and Wine Foundation’s event calendar.
If you’ve dined at the Cosmos Bistro before, why not become a regular customer, and be sure to introduce yourself to Cinnamon. If not, what are you waiting for? In Bellingham’s good-neighbor, beer-focused community, Cosmos Bistro fits right in and makes it a dining venue worth checking out.