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SALT LAKE CITY — The human mouth is believed to have about 10,000 taste buds. Moses was well on his way to discovering each and every one at his cooking lesson Wednesday.
The 17-year-old's appetite for life rivals only his passion for cooking.
"Every year I've taken one step farther into exceeding towards my goals," Moses said.
One of those goals includes becoming a chef.
Moses hopes one day to appeal to the palates of many, but unfortunately he knows all too well what it feels like to be hungry.
"I didn't have very much food," he said. "The grown-ups who were supposed to take care of us weren't very good at it."
Moses is from Haiti. He lived in an orphanage for the first six years of his life.
"It was very hard and emotional being 6 years old and barely having anything to eat," he said.
At 8 years old, he got a chance for a new life in the United States.
"When I was adopted, I thought this is going to be better," he said.
But two years later Moses entered the foster care system.
"I felt like I was a dog being sold to somebody else," he said.
The fact that he's still living in state custody nearly 10 years later is hard for him to digest. Next year, Moses plans to go to college and live in a dorm. Though he'll legally be considered an adult, he still wants what every child deserves.
"I'm really looking for a family I can actually belong to and call my family," he said.
He know the ingredients he needs: two loving parents, one permanent home, and one young man who is ready to give his whole heart.
To learn more about Moses or the many other children living in the Utah Foster Care System, contact The Adoption Exchange.