by Joanna Reid
Spoon University is a new addition to the roster of clubs at Adelphi, perfect for foodies, with chapters nationwide. It was reinstated on campus in fall 2020 thanks to the efforts of club leader sophomore Sophie Breslow.
“Before college, I was aware of what Spoon was and knew that I wanted to join the Adelphi chapter once I was a student,” Breslow said. “However, I soon found out that our chapter disbanded a few years ago and I instantly knew that I wanted to restart it. I wanted to be able to write articles about food for our chapter, but I also wanted to create a community on campus for all students to come together who share the same love of food that I do.”
Spoon members appreciate food and creating food-related projects. They also enjoy documenting food through articles because they are able to share their culture and lifestyle with others. The club also gives members good writing experience, especially for those who want to become a food journalist. Spoon is involved with creating articles that are posted on a popular website that publishes recipes, restaurant reviews, lifestyle articles and more, spoonuniversity.com. Colleges all over the United States have Spoon chapters and their articles make up the entire site.
Currently there are 12 student Spoon University members at Adelphi. A typical meeting consists of updating everyone on upcoming events, photo and editing ideas and discussing pitches for new articles. Often fun events are incorporated into the meetings, such as in November when members got to create “Oreo turkeys” in the spirit of Thanksgiving. Even at regular meetings snacks are almost always provided. The club gives members the freedom to write about all food-related topics, but if you’re not much of a writer, there are other ways to get involved. You can contribute by taking photos, creating social media posts and videos or helping plan events. Of course, many meetings involve eating and cooking. Some past events have been making your own snack jar, baking challah bread (in partnership with the Chabad club) and a movie night with, of course, snacks. Sometimes these events happen at the regularly scheduled meeting time and sometimes they are held on separate dates. Meetings occur biweekly on Thursdays at 6 pm in room 212 of the University Center. They are also held over Zoom.
Breslow said she worked hard to form the club. “I started by posting about Spoon on Instagram, on Snapchat and in my class Facebook group, letting my peers know what Spoon was, that I was restarting our chapter. Through that, our chapter started gaining members, and from there, I went on to select the rest of the e-board. We have worked together to not only run our chapter successfully, but to get us approved as an SGA-recognized organization on campus, which we accomplished at the end of last spring semester.”
According to faculty advisor Rachel Taniey, an assistant professor in nutrition in the Ruth S. Ammon College of Education and Health Sciences, Spoon University is a great addition to the student clubs offered at Adelphi as it is a place for students to combine writing and a love for food.
“When Sophie approached me about becoming the club advisor, I was very impressed with her leadership skills and tenacity,” Taniey said. “Sophie has been a strong advocate of this club and has worked diligently to obtain registered student organization status and become recognized at Adelphi University.”
She added, “As Sophie says, Spoon University gives students a creative outlet to express their love of food. It’s a place for students to come together and connect over their common interest in food and to ultimately have fun. Spoon University has been a positive presence at Adelphi during its first year and I am looking forward to beginning our second year this semester.”
Students can join by contacting their Instagram @spoon_adelphi or by email at spoonuniversity@adelphi.edu and or by joining our MyAULife page. The club hopes to grow in members and have entertaining events for months to come.