GSA Announcements and News
GSA Merch
We finally have merch! Elevate your culinary style with our exclusive GSA merch, the must-have accessory for every food enthusiast and student of the Gastronomy Program. We have t-shirts, crewnecks, sweaters, and a tote bag. Special thanks to Gastronomy alumni JD Crossland for allowing us to use their logo. If you are interested, here is our storefront.
GSA Assessment
GSA would love to hear from you all! We are asking for some feedback on your experience with the Gastronomy Student Association. If you would like to give your input, please fill out this survey. It roughly takes 2–3 minutes to fill it out. Responses are due by February 29. If you are interested, here is the survey.
GSA Committee Open Call
We are putting out an open call for students interested in joining one or more of our committees, outlined below. This is a standing call, so if you become interested in contributing later on, feel free to reach out.
Zine Committee Chair: Surabhi Supekar ssupekar@bu.edu
We produced our first zine last semester, available virtually here. After learning a lot with our first run, we’re interested in expanding this committee. Please reach out with any interest you have in contributing to the editing, design, and/or production aspects of our zine. You do not need to be on the committee to submit work to our zine, and being on the committee does not exclude you from submitting.
Newsletter Committee Chair: Edith Dimas edimas@bu.edu
We send out a monthly newsletter that includes GSA and departmental updates, virtual and in-person events, “What We’re Digesting,” and a food media spotlight. We’re looking for contributors interested in collaborating on this. Responsibilities can range from coalescing events, checking our event submission form, writing for the columns, and formatting the newsletter to ensure design continuity. We’re also open to additional components, should new committee members have ideas.
In-Person Events Committee Chair: Andrea Catania andreac@bu.edu
In-person events range from our weekly in-person Cookbook Library meetings to post-Pepin lecture drinks. We also try to conduct community service events when possible. Responsibilities include physical presence at events, and event coordination and planning.
Online Events Committee Chair: Adam Engstrom adengstr@bu.edu
We currently host a monthly virtual hangout on zoom, which allows us the time and space to connect outside the classroom and across the wide geographical locations our students come from. We all know the challenges of interpersonal connection in the virtual sphere - we welcome anyone with ideas on how to surmount these challenges! So many of our students are distance students - we want to build a social space to engage with one another. Responsibilities include presence at virtual events, and event brainstorming and planning.
BU Events
Painting&
Painting& is an art exhibition hosted by the BU Art Galleries.
Painting& is a group exhibition featuring four artists, Chanel Thervil, Kate Holcolm Hale, Cicely Carew, Soyoung L. Kim and organized by guest curator Mallory A. Ruymann. This exhibition highlights the ways in which painting has transformed into an expansive expression incorporating a variety of mediums and techniques.
When: Every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, & Saturday until Friday, March 8, 11:00 am to 5:00 pm
Where: Stone Gallery, 855 Commonwealth Avenue
Fees: Free
Natural Wanderment: Stewardship. Sovereignty. Sacredness.
Natural Wanderment is an art exhibition presented by the BU Arts Initiative and the BU Art Galleries. Natural Wanderment: Stewardship. Sovereignty. Sacredness. presents photographs from Matika Wilbur’s Project 562—a documentary project in which Wilbur photographed over 562 federally recognized Native American tribes, traveling across the United States in her RV which she named the “Big Girl.” For more information, click here.
When: Every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, & Saturday until Friday, March 8, 11:00 am to 5:00 pm
Where: 808 Gallery, Fuller Building, 808 Commonwealth Avenue
Fees: Free
Resume & Cover Letter Drop-Ins
The CCD offers personalized feedback for resumes and cover letters during Drop-Ins, no appointments needed. Drop-Ins are located on the first floor of the Yawkey Center for Student Services in room 101 (100 Bay State Road). Don’t forget to have your documents ready. For more information, click here.
When: Every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, & Friday until Friday, March 8, 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm
Where: Yawkey Center, 100 Bay State Rd (Room 101)
Fees: click here
Crafting Your Cover Letter (Career Development Workshop Series)
Learn how to connect your experiences with the responsibilities of a job/internship description to craft a compelling cover letter. In this session, we discuss the purpose of a cover letter, the main components of a cover letter, and some professional tips. Attendees are encouraged to bring a paper or digital copy of their cover letter to follow along during the workshop. For more information, click here.
When: Thursday, February 22, 11:00 am to 5:00 pm
Where: Virtual
Fees: Free
BUCK Movie Night
February's movie night will feature Ovarian Psycos. This powerful 2016 film centers on a group of Latina women who use bicycles as tools for social change in East LA. For more information, click here.
When: Friday, February 23, 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm
Where: BU Cycle Kitchen, BU Transportation Services, 1019 Comm Ave
Fees: Free
Negotiating Salary & Job Offers (Career Development Workshop Series)
Have you received an offer or anticipate getting one? Join this workshop to discuss components of an offer and how to approach negotiation. In this session, you will learn to identify key components of an offer, review resources for benchmarking compensation, and practice language to use for your conversations with recruiters and hiring managers. Learn how to create a value statement and utilize effective techniques to negotiate a salary package that works for you! For more information, click here.
When: Wednesday, March 20, 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Where: Virtual
Fees: Free
Virtual Events
Curry Goes Global: The Geopolitics of Good Taste
The USF Center for Asia Pacific Studies is hosting professor Krishnendu Ray for an online lecture on the history of curry. Curry was a British Indian invention that traveled through the imperial navy to end up as the Japanese curry-rice in the drive towards military modernization at the other end of the Eurasian world. This talk is about the unusual trajectory of an ersatz invention and its entanglement with geopolitical power and the biopolitics of a martial race. Check out more information here!
When: Wednesday, February 28th, from 5:00PM - 6:15PM PST
Where: Online Zoom Webinar
Events in Other Cities
East Coast
Massachusetts
Boston Wine & Food Festival
The Boston Wine & Food Festival is back for its 35th year. The festival has an array of events that will ignite your senses and lure you out of the house this winter! Held at the Boston Harbor Hotel, the 2-month festival has experience-themed weekends, intimate winemaker-hosted dinners, brunches, tastings, seminars, and a myriad of captivating events. Some of the upcoming events include a caviar and champagne dinner, a wine master class, and an oyster wine dinner. The festival runs until March 29th, 2024. For more information, check out this link.
When: Now until March 29th
Where: 70 Rowes Wharf, Boston, MA 02110
Rhode Island
The Future of Food: Seaweed
Farm Fresh RI and Harvest Kitchen are hosting a conversation about Seaweed! There will be a small film, a virtual tour of a sea farm, a discussion, and a sampling of Kelp from Stonington Kelp Company. Harvest Kitchen will be catering an assortment of kelp-inspired snacks! Non-alcoholic drinks will also be available. Interested? Check out more information here!
When: Thursday, February 29th, from 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm
Where: 2 Bayley Street Pawtucket, RI 02860
West Coast
California
LA Plaza
LA Plaza has an array of cooking and food events in the upcoming weeks. One is part of their Plática y Pruebas series, where they talk about Elena Zelayeta, a Mexican-Spanish businesswoman, cookbook author, and the first Latina woman to have a TV cooking show. Another of their events will be from their Hecho Con Amor series, where recipe developer and social scientist Denise Favela will show how to use leftover ingredients to make simple, nutritious, delicious, and inexpensive Mexican dishes. Check out more information here!
When: All throughout the month of March
Where: 555 North Spring Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Puerto Rico:Celebrating Cultural Food Traditions
Slow Food East Bay continues with its series celebrating diverse culinary traditions. For March, they're visiting Puerto Rico. Their chef, Manny, will bring his cultural foodways into his work as a fine dining chef. The chefs and the host will share their experiences holding on to their identity through both of their works, and there will be a discussion of the effects of climate change on the agricultural landscape of Puerto Rico. Along with the dialogue, there will be a menu with authentic food from Puerto Rico. Check out more information here!
When: Sunday, March 3rd, from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Where: 1014 Fruitvale Avenue Oakland, CA 94601
Midwest
Illinois
Brewsology Beer Fest
The Brewsology Beer Festival is being held for a night at the Museum of Science and Industry! The event will feature over 60 breweries sampling their seasonal beers, with access throughout the science museum. A great number of the breweries featured in the festival are local to the Chicagoland area. Check out more information here!
When: Saturday, March 2nd, 6:00 pm to 11:00 pm
Where: 5700 South Lake Shore Drive Chicago, IL 60637
Chicago Food Justice Summit
The Food Justice Summit is a three-day event where attendees will exchange meaningful knowledge, build deep relationships, and have powerful conversations on how to envision our food future together. The summit will highlight ways to ground policy in community action and engage participants in reimagining Chicago’s foodscape. Past sessions have included themes crucial to food policy: climate change, labor equity, food access, and urban farming. Through partnership with local leaders and beyond, attendees have engaged with passionate speakers and a marketplace of resources from all over Chicago, Cook County, and across the state of Illinois. Check out more information here!
When: Wednesday March 6th to Friday March 8th
Where: Virtually and in person: 7059 S South Shore Dr, Chicago, IL 60649
Wisconsin
Wisconsin Food & Hospitality Expo
The Wisconsin Food & Hospitality Expo is a highly anticipated industry event, bringing together professionals from the food, beverage, hospitality, and bakery sectors. Attendees will explore new products and services, foster connections, and stay abreast of emerging trends. With a diverse range of exhibits covering essential aspects such as food, beverage, equipment, and technology, attendees have the opportunity to engage firsthand with the latest innovations. Check out more information here!
When: Wednesday, March 13th, from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm
Where: 8200 W Greenfield, West Allis, WI 53214
A Dinner and Storytelling with Michael Twitty
Michael W. Twitty is the James Beard Award-winning author of the acclaimed The Cooking Gene and a noted culinary and cultural historian. Twitty studies and is an expert in historic African American foodways and Jewish and African Diaspora cuisine. Seven Acres will be hosting dinner with Twitty, where he will cook his favorite dishes from his books and tell stories to guests. Get your tickets now, as the event is selling fast. Check out more information here!
When: Wednesday, March 13th, from 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm
Where: 6858 Paoli Road, Belleville, WI 53508
South
Texas
Cook the Book: The Rise: Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food
Immerse yourself in an evening of unforgettable food and cook alongside Chef Marcus Samuelsson's cookbook. This collection highlights the diverse talents of Black chefs, writers, and activists and will introduce attendees to new combinations of familiar ingredients. Some recipes included a blended dip that contains peanuts, peanut butter, coconut milk, and chiles served with fried, spice-coated plantains; pan-seared halibut with a sweet-tart glaze over coconut-infused rice grits; carrots roasted with orange and tossed with a spicy vinaigrette; and a simple, single-layer, rum-soaked cake that will round out the meal. Check out more information here!
When: Friday, February 23rd, from 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm
Where: 4001 North Lamar Boulevard, Austin, TX 78756
All Things Food Summit
The SXSW conference will host the All Thing Food Summit, which will feature an array of speakers, seminars, film viewing, tasting shows, and all things food. Some events and workshops featured will be on food suitability, such as “Can Seafood Be Sustainable?” and Food Policy themes, such as “The Health and Wellbeing of Future Generations in Policy.”Check out more information here!
When: Thursday, March 14th, from 10:00 am to 10:00 pm
Where: 10463 Sprinkle Road Austin, TX 78754
Georgia
Beer, Bourbon & BBQ Festival
Experience the quintessential pleasures of Atlanta living at the Beer, Bourbon, Barbeque, and Boots event, featuring an indulgent array of delights, including bacon, biscuits, bluegrass music, and smoked meats. With admission, guests receive a souvenir glass for unlimited beer and bourbon tastings, along with the opportunity to savor whole hogs at the iconic Shrine of Swine. Check out more information here!
When: Saturday, February 24rd, from 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm
Where: 241 20th St. NW Atlanta, GA 30363
Come Eat with Me
Come Eat With Me is a 110-minute performance piece by Sri Vamsi Matta that explores the relationship between caste and food and culminates in sharing a meal together. Focusing on Dalit relationships to food, the piece begins with personal stories and oral histories around food in Vamsi’s household and community and is peppered with existing literature and academic writing around the multilayered, multi-flavored nuances between caste and food. The piece unpacks questions of oppression and solidarity, grief and joy, and the everyday victories of the human spirit in the face of structural injustices. Check out more information here!
When: Thursday, February 29th, from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Where: 515 South Kilgo Circle Northeast Atlanta, GA 30322
What We’re Digesting
Eaten Magazine
Have you been down a rabbit hole on the internet, and after spending who knows how long, you get to a place and wonder, how did I get here? That happened to me the other day, and somehow I found myself on the website of Eaten: The Food History Magazine. If you like history or even if you don't like history, this magazine is worth at least a look.
It's published three times a year, and each issue is filled with antique recipes and gastronomic essays thoughtfully curated around each issue's theme, focusing on forgotten stories of people from the past. Their latest issue is on the history of meat.
I have been enthralled by a piece from Victoria Flexner, where she provides fascinating details of the theatrical illusions regarding meat that the medieval European elite indulged in. Behold, the cockenthrice. And no, it is not made up; according to Flexner, recipes for cockenthrice appear in the fourteenth and fifteenth-century cookery books.
The rest of the magazine is filled with some incredible pieces of history on meat.
Their digital version of the magazine costs $10.
Also, if you like to write about history, they send calls for pitches three times a year.
Food Media Spotlight
adventures in jelly
adventures in jelly is an Instagram page started by antique jelly mould collector, Caroline, in 2020. The page is a delightful exploration of color, texture, and history, showcasing her creations through still photos and slow motion videos.
Her work is informed by a jelly course taken with food historian Ivan Day.
Caroline’s website hosts a selection of recipes (both edible and inedible), moulds, and tips for those curious about making their own jelly creations.
Anything you would like to share or recommend? Shoot us an email or fill out this form.
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Want to learn more about the students who write this newsletter? Find out more about us here!