Sentimental memories get triggered by desserts. I think I’m just offering dessert, but it brings up these deep memories for people.

Cecelia Lopez (she/her) 
Senior Consultant ‌
UCSF Enterprise Strategy and Transformation (EST)

Food has always been a bridge to my family, connecting me to my parents and grandparents. It also has the power to gather family and friends together, creating moments of shared joy.

Goshen Chan (he/him) 
Senior Consultant ‌
UCSF Enterprise Strategy and Transformation (EST)

Connecting Through Food – Cecelia and Goshen

Tell us about your role.

We are senior consultants with UCSF’s Enterprise Strategy & Transformation (EST, formerly EPMO). Our specialty area is in Business & Technology transformation. We are introducing a new enterprise-wide Continuous Improvement Community of Practice (CI CoP), which EST is co-leading. The CI CoP brings together experts and practitioners in project delivery, change leadership, and process improvement. Its focus is on fostering collaboration, codifying best practices, and leveraging technology (including AI and automation) to streamline workflows and align with enterprise priorities.

What is your special connection to food?  

Cecelia: I'm the youngest of 12 children. Many of our family connections are formed through food. Sentimental memories get triggered by desserts. I’m testing a citrus blueberry recipe, and my niece, who works in hospital security, brought some to the nurses at Valley Medical. She said the Filipino nurses said it reminded them of a resort in Boracay, Philippines. Her sergeant told her the frosting reminded him of an orange creamsicle. I think I’m just offering dessert, but it brings up these deep memories for people.‌

‌In my yard, I have seven grapefruit trees, two lemon trees and two calamansi (Kalamunda) trees, which are a native Filipino fruit that tastes like a hybrid mandarin and kumquat. They are tiny, and it takes me about an hour or two to prepare them. For me, it’s not just the cooking. It’s also about growing, caring, and sharing the fruit.

‌(See Cecelia's base recipe from the Cakes by MK website.) 

Goshen: Food has an incredible way of connecting us to memories and the people who matter most in our lives. One vivid memory for me is tied to a childhood favorite, an old-fashioned grilled pocket sandwich. My father had this unique tool to make those sandwiches, which we affectionately called UFO sandwiches because of their round shape. When I was a child, that tool was a staple in our kitchen, but we lost it when we moved to the U.S. A couple of years ago, I found myself craving that nostalgic dish and was thrilled to discover the tool online—it’s called the Toas-Tite Pocket Sandwich Maker. Finding it brought back a flood of memories and the joy of reconnecting with a piece of my childhood. ‌

‌Food has always been a bridge to my family, connecting me to my parents and grandparents. It also has the power to gather family and friends together, creating moments of shared joy. What makes food magical is its ability to trigger emotions—whether happiness, sadness, or nostalgia—and transport you back to the experiences tied to it. That’s the beauty of food: it’s not just sustenance, but a keeper of memories and feelings.

‌FAVORITE COOKIE JAR TREAT: 

Cecelia: Oatmeal raisin cookie

‌Goshen: Dark chocolate macadamia nut cookie