IAA lecturer Meredith Epstein is obsessed with food. She’s so obsessed, in fact, that she decided to create a club specifically devoted to eating it! The self-proclaimed “foodie,” who teaches Sustainable Agriculture and advises some of Jull Hall’s finest students, started an IAA Food Club. With a dozen people in attendance, Epstein declared the first get-together a success.
"I'm thrilled at the level of excitement for this club. But then again, why wouldn't everyone be so excited to eat awesome food?" she smiled.
"I teach students who aspire to own agricultural businesses how to market the food they produce to their customers, and a large part of that is understanding what customers want and need. I think a critical piece of that education is learning how to appreciate and talk about high quality food. What better way to learn than eat together?"
The club plans to meet monthly for potlucks, in addition to breaking bread together at restaurant outings. The potlucks will be themed, and different members of the club are responsible for what will be eaten that particular month. The club’s slogan, “What’s On Your Plate?” encourages members to try new foods and expand their palates to appreciate the vast array of delicacies that are available to them outside of regular chain restaurants.
IAA Director Glori Hyman sees so much potential for the group. “The energy level at the first gathering was so high; we couldn’t help but get excited. Food brings people together. It’s the perfect way create a community among all our majors, faculty and staff. I see it expanding to inviting alumni to join us for our monthly outings. Plus, I think the club members can experiment with recipes using fresh herbs and produce from the garden and Terp Farm,” she says.
Truly, many members of the IAA are thrilled to have a place and space to come together to share a common bond that unites everyone—after all, we need to eat, right? Perhaps turfgrass management major Marvin Martinez said it best when he excitedly declared, "I’m very excited to be able to try new things, meet new people and enjoy a good meal with friends, teachers and classmates. We have a pretty large group so I'm pretty excited about that too! And lastly I love food! So…what’s on your plate?”
