Written by Aja Griffin
Homemade at Harding is the latest cooking segment on HU16, led by sophomore student Ava Hagedorn and senior student Emma McDaris. The show, which began as an assignment in their Multimedia Storytelling class, offers viewers an innovative glimpse into dorm-friendly recipes paired with the personal histories behind each dish. By merging culinary instruction with campus culture, the segment is quickly establishing itself as a must-watch feature on campus television.
Emma McDaris explained the inspiration behind the initiative.
“I did my COMM research project on college students and their cooking knowledge,” McDaris said. “This area has always interested me as someone who grew up in an environment where kids were encouraged to learn how to help cook. This interest, combined with my love of cooking shows and the need for more student-created programming on HU16, ultimately created ‘Homemade at Harding.’”
Her passion for cooking and storytelling shines through every episode as she attempts to make the task of preparing meals accessible to all college students.
McDaris and Hagedorn worked with HU16 producer and faculty advisor Noah Darnell, who encouraged them to develop the show as part of their multimedia storytelling class.
“Noah really helped us figure out a plan,” McDaris said. “Ava and I created the pilot for his class, and he’s been a great resource for filming and editing advice.”
Hagedorn echoed McDaris’ sentiments about Darnell.
“Noah Darnell helped us a lot as it also started as an assignment for his multimedia storytelling class,” Hagedorn said, “but he also has a lot of experience with filming and editing and he is a good person to go to for advice.”
The show’s format is straightforward: Hagedorn and McDaris pick a recipe from the Harding Cookbook, break down the ingredients, share a little history about the dish and then make it on camera—ending, of course, with a taste test.
McDaris detailed the process.
“Homemade at Harding aims to make cooking more accessible to college students,” McDaris said. “Ava and I will present two or three recipes that are from former Harding students and will demonstrate how to recreate the dish. We try to pick dorm-friendly recipes that don’t involve a high technique of cooking. Viewers can expect to walk away with some solid recipes that they feel confident in creating.” This hands-on approach invites students to explore cooking without feeling intimidated.
Junior Kate Burton echoed this enthusiasm.
“Cooking in college can feel overwhelming, especially if you’ve never done it before,” Burton said. “They break recipes down in a way that makes them feel doable, even with limited time and space. Plus, it’s fun to see fellow students creating something together.” Her perspective highlights the segment’s impact, providing a relatable and approachable entry point into the world of college cooking.
Memorable moments have already begun to emerge from the series.
“Ava and I are always laughing with each other and finding the fun in cooking,” McDaris said. “I think my favorite memory has been trying our first dessert in the pilot and both of us just lighting up because of how good something that we made was.”
With such genuine camaraderie and shared success, Homemade at Harding is poised to continue inspiring students to get creative in the kitchen. Homemade at Harding is proving that cooking in college doesn’t have to be complicated—or boring.
