06/23/2026
💜📚 Community Voice #12 📚💜
19 Days Left Until the Dear First Day Submission Deadline!
As we count down to our Dear First Day community poetry showcase, we're highlighting the people whose own first days helped shape the Columbia community we know today.
Today's Featured Voice is Chad Jones-Hicks, Columbia native and owner of Flavor & Comfort.
🍽️ Born and raised in Columbia, Chad has spent his life building connections within the community that shaped him. While he works full-time in the sports and entertainment industry, Flavor & Comfort is his side business and passion.
Through catering, pop-ups, and events throughout Mid-Missouri, Chad shares his love for food, hospitality, and bringing people together.
He is proud to call Columbia home and grateful for the opportunity to serve the community that has supported him throughout his life.
When reflecting on one of the biggest first days in his life, Chad shared:
✨ "One of the biggest moments in my life was leaving Missouri for California to take a low-paying job with the UC Davis basketball program. Moving across the country to chase a dream was scary, and I definitely questioned if I was making the right choice.
But I kept coming back to Steve Jobs’ quote: 'You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward.'
That mindset has never let me down. Trusting the journey, even when I couldn’t see the full path, has made all the difference in my life." ✨
Throughout each of our community voices we find certain things tend to be true...
Sometimes we have to take the step before we understand where it will lead.
Sometimes we have to trust the journey before the dots connect.
And sometimes, the path that feels uncertain in the beginning becomes the one that helps us on the road to our passion.
When asked what he would tell a child or person preparing for their own first day, Chad shared:
✨ "Close your eyes, take a deep breath in through your nose, and slowly exhale through your mouth. Remember, everything is going to be okay. Relax, have fun, be yourself, and don’t be afraid to make some new friends along the way." ✨
That is such a gentle and needed reminder.
Breathe.
Be yourself.
Make a friend.
Thank you, Chad, for sharing your first-day story, for bringing people together through food and hospitality, and for reminding us that sometimes the dots only make sense after we are brave enough to start.
💜🍽️📚
In true community spirit, Chad chose to highlight a cause that matters to him:
🌐 Support PBS: https://www.pbs.org/about/about-pbs/support-pbs/
Learn more about Flavor & Comfort:
Flavor & Comfort
✏️ Dear First Day submissions are still open!
Children, teens, and adults are invited to submit an original poem, letter, reflection, story, artwork, or spoken-word piece inspired by a first day or new beginning.
📅 19 days left to submit!
Send your submissions to [email protected] or learn more at:
🌐 thesandwichway.com/pages/dear-first-day
