After Losing Her Limbs, Our Cooking Columnist Returns to the Kitchen
The Daily
Aug 2, 2026
After a life-altering sickle cell crisis led to multiple amputations, food columnist Yewande Komolafe discovered that cooking was not just a career, but a vital through-line for her recovery. By adapting her creative process to work with assistants, she maintains her identity and passion while navigating a new physical reality.
Key insight: Even after losing nine fingers and both legs below the knee, Yewande found that the act of cooking—even through the hands of an assistant—remained an innate, essential part of her identity that she refused to surrender.
