Food plays a role in all of our lives. Across NYU’s schools and campuses, students explore that role and share their different food-related interests. There are clubs for home bakers, cheese aficionados, future nutritionists, and more. Recently, we spoke with two of NYU’s food-centric clubs to find out what whets their appetites—and how you can get involved.
Take a Bite Out of New York City
At Bite Club, NYU students commit memorable meals to print. Through the New York-based club, foodies of all levels eat local and share their experiences with the community. “It’s so fun to give other people the opportunity to go out to different places and come together,” says Rachel Westerfield, the club’s social media director. She is one of the club’s Media, Culture, and Communications majors at the NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, but the club welcomes members across schools. One student even studies economics. “She just likes writing about food!” says Rachel.
Members recently sampled jelly dragons from Ănjelly and matcha waffles from Matcha Cafe Maiko. “I love going somewhere local and supporting them multiple times,” says Shayla Flynn, the club’s president. She studies Marketing and Management at NYU Stern School of Business. Going forward, the group hopes to grow their membership across schools by hosting monthly food crawls. “As long as you love New York City and food, we can teach you everything else,” says Shayla. “It’s free food and college students. What better pairing is there?”
Stir the Pot at NYU Abu Dhabi
During the height of the pandemic, many NYU students wanted to hone their cooking skills. So, NYU Abu Dhabi students formed the Melting Pot, a student interest group focused on cooking different foods at home. “I think people who are open to trying new things, especially cuisines, will enjoy our group the most,” says Ajla Šačić, Melting Pot’s president. She’s a Computer Science major minoring in Applied Mathematics. “You can be a beginner or a master cook and still enjoy the experience.”
Food provides common ground where everyone can gather and learn. Recently, a Melting Pot member from South Korea hosted a tteokbokki workshop, while another from Ghana showed the group how to make jollof rice. The club also hosts cooking competitions in which aspiring chefs are given a set budget and two hours to create a masterpiece.
Additionally, the group plans to promote more accessible cooking spaces on campus in the year ahead. That way, Ajla says, all students can “teach others about their culture through the one thing that connects us all: food.” For the time being, if anyone worries about finding the space and tools to cook a proper meal, Ajla says that every residential building offers a communal kitchen. “While not all of them possess everything you need, the NYU Abu Dhabi community is exceptionally kind,” she adds. “Most people are willing to lend their pots and pans as well as ingredients.”
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