At 26, celebrity chef Curtis Aikens finally learned to read
Even if you’ve never met Curtis Aikens, all it takes to get a sense of his personality is the command on the front of his chef’s jacket: “Give me a hug!!”
When he graduated from high school, though, he would have had trouble reading those four words.
And yes, Aikens graduated from high school. Without learning to read.
“I could not spell Kmart,” he says. “I could spell my name. That was about it.”
He could recognize letters. But as he set off to college, he could not form letters into words and words into sentences.
Finally, at 26, after seeing a TV commercial for literacy tutoring, he signed up. Within a year he had become a reader.
These days, at 49, Aikens — a cookbook author and former Food Network personality who has met three presidents and even Oprah — is an advocate for adult literacy. He was in Kansas City last week to tell his story, do a little cooking and raise money for Literacy Kansas City, an organization that teaches adults and teenagers how to read.
READ MORE ! @ Kansascity.com: 10/20/09 by Tim Engle-Kansas City Star
Even if you’ve never met Curtis Aikens, all it takes to get a sense of his personality is the command on the front of his chef’s jacket: “Give me a hug!!”
When he graduated from high school, though, he would have had trouble reading those four words.
And yes, Aikens graduated from high school. Without learning to read.
“I could not spell Kmart,” he says. “I could spell my name. That was about it.”
He could recognize letters. But as he set off to college, he could not form letters into words and words into sentences.
Finally, at 26, after seeing a TV commercial for literacy tutoring, he signed up. Within a year he had become a reader.
These days, at 49, Aikens — a cookbook author and former Food Network personality who has met three presidents and even Oprah — is an advocate for adult literacy. He was in Kansas City last week to tell his story, do a little cooking and raise money for Literacy Kansas City, an organization that teaches adults and teenagers how to read.
READ MORE ! @ Kansascity.com: 10/20/09 by Tim Engle-Kansas City Star
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