Written by Eli Dean and Eliott Coombes // Photo by Eli Dean
The department of Family and Consumer Sciences hosted a Thanksgiving dinner at the Holland-Waller Center Nov. 14, with each dish made by culinary students in the department. Family and consumer sciences assistant professor Megan Jones said this lab is the culmination of a whole semester’s worth of learning culinary skills.
“Each kitchen is making different dishes for the feast, and all of that will come together for the feast,” Jones said. “Every week we do something a little different with the 13 labs, and this is putting everything together.”
The feast is a yearly tradition, and Jones said it’s a chance for everyone in the course to show what they’ve learned to their friends they invite to the dinner.
“Three years ago, someone in one of my classes said that we should do a Thanksgiving feast for a lab, and so we started doing this,” Jones said. “The students are learning the types of culinary skills in the food science class throughout the semester so they can use those skills for this lab.”
Senior Kelli McKinnon said the class has given her a positive experience for both her major as well as her minor.
“I wanted a minor that helped the movement and health areas of my exercise science major and [added] on to it,” McKinnon said. “I decided to pursue food and nutrition as a minor because I feel like that stuff supplements the movement side of things with my major.”
McKinnon said she’s always had an interest in cooking and that being able to take those skills into a classroom has been a positive experience for her.
“Growing up watching my mom cook, I always wanted to be a part of it,” McKinnon said. “Learning how to cook well in a classroom setting has been a really good experience.”
Senior Ryleigh Hamilton was a guest at the event, and she said she was impressed with the display of the food before everyone at the table.
“The food looks good and smells good,” Hamilton said. “I came to this event last year with another friend, so I’m looking forward to it because the food is always really good, and I can tell they put a lot of hard work and effort into it, which I appreciate.”
Whether or not Thanksgiving is someone’s favorite holiday, Jones said nothing tops Thanksgiving food on the fourth Thursday of every November.
“My family had so many traditions growing up for Thanksgiving,” Jones said. “Those traditions made Thanksgiving really special to me so that’s why [my favorite holiday] has to be Thanksgiving.”
