The University of Minnesota’s Cooking Club incorporates community by allowing members to create meals at their meetings every other week.
The club, revived last semester after a several-year hiatus, is open to students of all cooking abilities. In the past, members made pasta from scratch, had a cookout and made Halloween snacks.
Club president Katie Nordling said she joined last year after seeing flyers around campus.
“When I was in high school, I found a home leading things,” Nordling said. “When I saw that there was an opportunity to become a part of the leadership team for the cooking club, I pounced on it because I thought it would be super cool.”
As president, Nordling has many responsibilities but enjoys the sense of community and accomplishments of cooking.
“I enjoy when I find a recipe for something and then I make it and I get to see it turn out,” Nordling said. “Being able to take the time to try something new, to figure out how it works, and then once you know how it works, make it. Then once you’ve made it you feel like you’re on top of the world.”
Head chef Bobby Buehler learned to cook from his mom and took an interest in cooking from her.
“I started helping out in the kitchen a lot, and it eventually turned into me making dinner for us sometimes,” Buehler said. “I really enjoyed it when other people enjoyed the food that I made. I started working in kitchens and the service industry, and I just love that something as simple as making a meal for somebody can provide an experience and real emotion.”
A fourth-year food science major, Buehler said he learned a lot about kitchens and food systems and hopes to bring that knowledge to the club next semester.
Buehler said he plans to teach club members about the basic ingredients they should have in their food pantry, how to cook great recipes on a college budget and understand where their ingredients come from.
“I just want to give as many people the tools necessary to be able to eat more than prepackaged ramen,” Buehler said.
Nordling said her experiences and the welcoming environment made her want to stay involved, and she hopes to continue that feeling for new members.
“We just want to make a warm place where you can come and cook together, have fun together and make something new beyond possibilities that you thought you couldn’t do,” Nordling said. “We’re open to all experience levels, if you’ve been a master chef for 10 years, or if you have never picked up a whisk once.”
