Husky cookbook aims to connect UW community through food storytelling

By Lori Tiede

What food or dish best represents you?  Behind every dish lies a great story.

A new Husky cookbook project launching this month aims to showcase how our identities are shaped by food traditions and culture.  The project, being led by three graduate students in the Nutritional Sciences Program in the UW School of Public Health will promote the cooking and sharing of meals, and encourage dialogue across the University of Washington community to foster a sense of community and connection.

“The cookbook is an invitation to the broader University of Washington community to connect around a communal table, “ says Ivory Loh, the organizer leading the project.

Loh is the project visionary who was responsible for securing close to $5k to fund the cookbook by applying for a 2019 Husky Seed Fund Award.  She was one of two students selected to have projects funded this year.

Loh says her approach is to crowd-source recipes and food stories from UW students, faculty, and staff from every campus.

The idea for the project was sparked by an assigned reading and discussion on food and culture in Loh’s NUTR 513 class last year, taught by Jennifer Otten.

“The conversation in the class moved me,” says Loh. “Students shared stories about their lives and it illuminated for me that food is not only a way to break barriers and build relationships, but also a way in which stories of culture and traditions are shared.”

Erin McDonnell and Emahlea Jackson, two other graduate students in the Nutritional Sciences Program are co-coordinating the project with Loh.  During the month of October, the team will curate submissions for the cookbook from all corners of the University, with a release planned for spring 2020, coinciding with a campus launch event.

Funds will be applied to printing a limited number of copies, and publishing recipes in a digital format. The team is looking for collaborators who have the infrastructure in place to host the recipes online so the cookbook may grow and be a self-sustaining resource beyond the life of the project.

The project team also includes students from the Evans School,  School of Art + Art History + Design, Foster School of Business, and Department of English who are handling marketing, design and print work. A UW alumna, who now works at Amazon, is also involved in coordinating print publishing of the cookbook.

How to submit to the cookbook

The Husky Cookbook project is now collecting submissions via an online form through November 1.  Individuals who submit a recipe and food story will be entered into a drawing for one of several Amazon gift cards.   Eligibility to submit is open to all UW students, faculty, and staff from all UW campuses.

You may connect with the project team through their Facebook and Instagram channels, or send an email to huskycookbook@uw.edu with questions or information.

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Cookbook project team

University of Washington students involved in the project include:

• Ivory Loh, a graduate student pursuing an MPH in Nutritional Sciences and RDN training through the Graduate Coordinated Program in Dietetics (GCPD) with the School of Public Health
• Emahlea Jackson, a graduate student pursuing an MPH in Nutritional Sciences and RDN training in the GCPD in the School of Public Health
• Erin McDonnell, a graduate student pursuing an MS in Nutritional Sciences and RDN training in the GCPD in the School of Public Health
• Elizabeth Shi, a graduate student pursuing an MPA in the Evans School of Public Policy and Governance
• Katie Chua, an undergraduate student majoring in language & literature in the College of Arts and Sciences, English department, and is also majoring in marketing  in the Michael G. Foster School of Business
• Sabrina Zhu, an undergraduate student majoring in Interaction Design in the School of Art + Art History + Design
• Sarah Smith, a UX Visual Designer at Amazon and alumna of UW School of Art + Art History + Design, Master of Design

Anne-Marie Gloster, a core faculty member in the Nutritional Sciences Program and lecturer in epidemiology with the UW School of Public Health is serving as project mentor.

October 1, 2019