awesome” and that she should show the world. Casually, she started teaching herself how to film, how to edit, and how to make a YouTube channel to put it out there. She really enjoyed the process of making videos as well as watching herself on camera, and that was how everything began. Over time, she began getting messages from people all over the world about her new endeavor. Parents
“I have a younger sister who, when she was two and a half or three, really started to engage with my stump as a character,” she says. “So, I would put on little shows for her. And she actually named my stump Deda! And it became this fun game for my sister and me, where I got to celebrate who I was in these loving and playful ways.” That experience helped instill joy, playfulness, and humor in her. It also gave her confidence and a great way of interacting with people. In addition, having watched her dad making amazing meals—like spaghetti sauce from scratch, among other dishes—in a fun and playful way, it inspired her love of food. The idea of doing a cooking show, however, had not yet been formed. Food was simply something that she enjoyed eating. Several years ago, Chef Hillyard was diagnosed with gluten intolerance and became a vegan. At the same time, she started to spend more time in the kitchen and learn how to cook more seriously. Feeling nervous at first, she started with simple recipes in the beginning. However, she found her sea legs quickly and began experimenting with more challenging dishes. Eventually, she realized how therapeutic and meditative cooking could be. “It became this beautiful, embodied experience,” she says. “And then I just kept learning and learning and taking knife- skill courses and just learning my craft.” One day, her partner said that the way she cooks is “really
“It became this beautiful, embodied experience,” she says. “And then I just kept learning and learning and taking knife- skill courses and just learning my craft.”
with kids who have a limb difference or disability. People who are missing an arm or missing a hand. They would send her comments like “My kid wants to cook like you” or “Look—we have the same arm!” These inspiring messages made it clear that her work was special and important. She
realized that it was more significant than just a fun diversion. She saw how critical it was to increase representation of disabled people and bodies in the media. Content such as hers inspires others to pursue their passions regardless of their limitations.
Defying Boundaries Chef Alexis Hillyard’s Artistic Culinary Revolution WRITTEN BY CARY WONG W
atching Chef Alexis Hillyard’s YouTube cooking videos on her “Stump Kitchen” channel feels like watching an energetic friend sharing her best recipes while having lots of fun. Despite having a congenital limb difference of having a stump instead of a completely-formed left hand, her sense of humor renders that fact irrelevant.
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