Multidisciplinary Event: Back to the Foodture

Dec 9

I have taught a U. S. History survey course with an emphasis on food for a few terms now. We were finally able to have the contest we had envisioned.

Back to the Foodture Multidisciplinary Event

What is It?

Back to the Foodture is a multi-disciplinary project at Houston Community College. It brings together pastry, history, English, and science students and professors. Pastry students choose and make a recipe, history students recount the history of the dish, English students write a white paper about the project, and science students explain the biological and chemical components of the dish. Students create a collaborative video, each filming and explaining their various parts. Finally, a competition is held at the HCC Culinary building where videos are shown and pastries are judged.

How Did It Go?

I prepped all my students for the event with an oral history project about food. The students I nominated were always present in class, on time with their assignments, and thorough in their work. Although we were a bit last-minute pulling the final event together (we are tweaking the timeline for next time), the event was wonderful. I particularly enjoyed judging because it basically meant that I got to eat a lot of desserts! My colleague and I made custom aprons in our IdeaStudio, which we distributed along with certificates.