LAKE COUNTY, Fla. — One woman in the Leesburg area is doing what she can for her community helping those in need this holiday season and all year long. 

  • Ze Carter carries on her father's tradition
  • She teaches about growing, cooking own food
  • See more good news on Everyday Hero

Chef Ze Carter's infectious laugh is somewhat of a staple at the Leesburg Library and so is her cooking. 

"My late father he was always a giver. I knew once he passed I wanted to keep that going and he was a chef," Carter said. 

Carrying on her father's legacy, Carter is doing him proud. 

With her skill in the kitchen and big heart, she is reaching out to the surrounding Lake County community to help those less fortunate with food insecurity and teach sustainable and affordable living. 

"It's really sad that one and six people are affected by food insecurity and a big portion of that number are our children and elderly, so to work with them each month is a joy," Carter said. 

Her monthly classes at the Leesburg Library draw in crowds of young and old wanting to learn about healthy lifestyles. In her classes, she brings in community business owners who speak on growing and producing crops and she teaches everything from cooking your own products to stretching a budget. 

Even going a step further, she opened her own nonprofit for at risk teens and elderly individuals in the community, called Kitch'n Lyfe Skills. 

"Some people may never stop the need to relay on food pantries but many people if you give them the necessary skills they can relay less or not at all because they can produce their own food," Carter said. 

It is a mission she is hoping will continue to grow and one she says she will love more with each passing day. 

"You cannot think of this type of service as a hand out, because you are really helping that next person live. We don't talk about it but it's prevalent and it's out there," Carter said. 

For more information on the chef's classes and ways you can get involved, you can head to her Facebook page