The Road to Lafayette
I was born and raised in Bayonne, NJ (think the gritty opening of The Sopranos) and am the oldest of four kids. We lived in a two-family home with the six of us on the first floor - all sharing one bathroom. My parents rented the second floor unit to help pay the mortgage. For a time we listened to “Love Me Tender” every night around eight o’clock as one renter, an Elvis impersonator, serenaded his wife and child at bedtime.
Staying up late in our pajamas to ring in 1989! I’m in the back with the weird smile surrounded by my three siblings, Kelly, PJ and Caitlin.
Summers were mostly spent with my grandparents and cousins down the Jersey Shore. We only went “away” on vacation twice, both times to Disney World. The first was in 1987 with all of us in one room at a hotel off property. The second time was in 1993 when we stayed in a trailer home at Disney’s Fort Wilderness so that we could have space to do our homework before heading to the parks. School was important to my parents.
Early on I showed ambition by declaring in third grade that I wanted to be valedictorian of my public school’s eighth grade class. I did it! My hard work continued in high school as I achieved in the classroom and on the basketball court. I made my school’s varsity basketball team during my sophomore year and had my front teeth knocked out in a game 10 days before junior prom. (Ok, I’ll admit - I’m tough.)
Playing varsity basketball against our main rivals during my senior year of high school. Notice the brace on my left leg. My journey of three knee surgeries started here.
Ever the independent, I wanted to go away for college and attended the University of Arizona on student loans and a merit scholarship. I paid for room and board by working as a resident assistant. I graduated magna cum laude with honors in journalism and media arts. By waking up at 2 am in order to help produce the local morning news during my junior and senior years, I was hired as the first news associate for CNBC’s Washington bureau and continued my career in television and communications at Discovery Channel and PBS Kids while living in D.C. Needing a personal change while also wanting professional growth, I went on to study marketing communications at Northwestern University’s Medill School and graduated with my master’s degree and a media marketing certificate from the Kellogg School of Management.
Hoping to stay in Chicago while looking for a job during the recession, I worked as a part-time food tour guide and slept on an air mattress on my friend’s floor. I eventually landed a job at Sears.com and met my husband Chris on Match.com. (Perhaps destined for the tech-centric Bay Area?) Chris, a native of Southern California, convinced me that a destination wedding in Napa would be nice - and then a move out to the Golden State would be even better.
Before moving to Lafayette (hello proximity to BART, and thanks in part to the hard work and generosity of our family), we found an apartment in a multi-unit home in Rockridge. While renting in Oakland, I broke up my days consulting by shopping for dinner ingredients along College Avenue. There, I got to know many small business owners and during a fateful conversation was inspired to start my own business Local Food Adventures.
Lauren (in red) leads a food tour group for a beer tasting at Original Pattern Brewing Company in the Jack London Square district of Oakland.
My food tours began six months before becoming pregnant with our son and turned out to be a fantastic business to have while also prioritizing our family. Since March 2020, I have been providing my food-based experiences online with virtual group events, including a popular Virtual Ice Cream Social.
In late 2021, when teacher quarantine policies threatened a return to distance learning for students during the omicron surge, I decided to take advantage of my flexible schedule and stepped up to become a substitute teacher in our local school districts. I love knowing that I’m helping out while also being able to prioritize my family and make time for civic engagement.