“Running a cooking club brings huge rewards. Club members learn a life skill which will bring years of enjoying preparing and eating great food; they learn to eat more healthily and often more cheaply. At an individual level, cooking with others develops responsibility, encourages social interaction, and builds self-esteem. After all, who doesn’t feel better when someone says, ‘This is delicious – did you really make it?’”
In this online guide to running a cooking club, the benefits of running a cooking club are highly apparent. Self-esteem. Social interaction. Good food. Who doesn’t want that? This is the epitome of Jesuit’s Culinary Society, who had their first meeting on January 22, 2020. Starting off a new decade right with some new underclassmen members, the club’s first meal was fun-filled and delicious-tasting.
The Cooking Process
Wings always go well with celery sticks, carrot sticks, and ranch sauce, and typically most Americans on Super Bowl night enjoy this part of their meal. Splitting up into groups, they first sliced celery and carrots into sticks to compliment the wings. They made all types of wings such as buffalo, Sriracha, and garlic parmesan, and fried them towards the back of Sage’s magnificent kitchen. The wings were “good and easy to make,” according to Ms. Vollet.
Additionally, members also made deviled eggs, first boiling them in water in order to peel the hard shells off while the wings were frying. Once done, the eggs were cut in half, removing the cooked yolk to add toppings. When making deviled eggs, Ms. Vollet suggested to “buy your eggs beforehand because they can get hard to peel and ultimately were hard to peel.” Going above and beyond, the eggs were garnished with cheese, bacon, and garlic, with a slight hint of pastry atop them. “The eggs were rushed a little bit because the meetings are usually an hour, but they turned out okay.”
Student Opinions
”My experience was that it was quite interesting to get a look behind the kitchen and to use many of the industrial machines used to cook Jesuit food every day. My thoughts on the food were that it was good and tasted very similar to that prepared on mass for Jesuit lunch.” -John Gehan ‘22
“The acidic yet rich flavor profile of the eggs worked with the flavor of the wings effortlessly. Taking a bite of the egg after eating spicy wings allows you to enjoy the flavor of both components without burning your mouth too much. Overall, the experience was really fun, and I intend to go to the next meeting!”-Colten Phillips ’23
The Culinary Society meets again next month to make more meals for members to enjoy! If you’re famished after reading this article and want to join, please reach out to Mrs. Vollet for more information!
And as always, stay tuned to The Roundup for more coverage of Culinary Society!
