Inspirational is often over used or over generously applied, much like iconic and genius.
But in the case of Ryan Riley, the young man - and I do mean young, he is 24, behind Life Kitchen it is barely adequate.
When Ryan was just 20 years old, his mother Krista died. She was too young to die, she was only 47, but cancer is a cruel and indiscriminatory disease.
There can be no-one out there who has not experienced the impact of cancer at some point in their lives.
You may remember Netherton's daughter raising money for the Teenage Cancer trust after the cruel death of her friend. We have both lost a parent to cancer.
But there is hope and there are treatments and one day cancer will no longer be the killer it is today.
But for now, it remains with us.
Chemo and radio therapies can play a part in treating cancer and prolonging life, but they come at a cost. One of the side effects of chemotherapy is its assault on the tastebuds, food that was once enjoyed is changed beyond recognition, some flavours are lost entirely and many people are left with an unpleasant metallic taste that lingers and cannot be disguised. It's bad enough that you are suffering from a life threatening disease, but to diminish your quality of life, is doubly hard.
Ryan's mum, who had been a great cook and food lover suffered these depressing side effects and it was this that inspired his idea for the Life Kitchen.
And now, with the help of some very famous names, he is making that concept reality.
In his words, one tweet set the wheels in motion, turning a well intentioned but ill thought out concept into a life affirming, life enhancing initiative.
Life Kitchen is about offering free cookery classes to people living with cancer, exploring how food can once again be pleasurable, sharing knowledge, techniques and recipes in a comfortable, relaxed environment.
We were thrilled to attend the very first sessions, which were held at River Cottage and hosted by the inimitable and irrepressible Sue Perkins. I have to admit to a bit of a girly crush here, she was even more delightful in real life!! In my mind she has morphed into "Lovely Sue", which makes me chuckle with memories of Radio 4's Fags, Mags and Bags.
There were 2 classes held that day, with Ryan demonstrating 2 dishes, which were easy to reproduce (which is not to detract from the evident skills of the attendees) and rammed with flavour. Ryan has been doing his research and has discovered that no matter the devastation wrought to your tastebuds by chemotherapy, you can still detect the flavours of mint and cinnamon and by adding these judiciously to your food, you can experience a mouthful of joy. Sue reminisced about her father, who had lived with cancer and peppermints for 20 years.
The staff at River Cottage were wonderful, everyone from head chef, Gelf Anderson, to the KP unobtrusively fetching, carrying and washing up. We felt privileged to be there in any case, but the warm welcome after a horrendous journey down made it very special indeed.
It is testament to Ryan's enthusiasm, determination and evident love of his late mother that he has persuaded so many well known people from the world of food to back his initiative - the next classes were held at Jamie Oliver's cookery school in London.
But he cannot keep going on good wishes, so if you can, please chuck him a few quid on his crowdfunder page and encourage anyone you know who would benefit from these classes to get involved. He is not going to cure cancer, he is unlikely to win the Nobel prize, but what Ryan is doing is no less valuable. He is a force of nature, a genuine sunbeam and we are proud to be involved in Life Kitchen.
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