When sophomore Alyssa Breetwor enrolled in a Sustainable Food and Agriculture class and joined a community garden, she discovered the appreciation and talent many of her classmates had for cooking.

“We had really awesome potlucks where people were supposed to use local ingredients [in the dishes] and people would make amazing things,” said Breetwor. “With the local food available in Walla Walla and the slow-cooking movement, it really seemed appropriate to make a club for it.”

As Breetwor reflected on this story, she and other members were helping create the first meal created by the Whitman College Cooking Club: a from-scratch pizza. After Breetwor mentioned that she was a vegan, one member took off the cheese from nearly a quarter of the pizza so she could eat some when it was done.

The cooking club hopes to join forces with the organic garden, the baking club and other food groups to promote the awareness of the farm industry and an appreciation for the creation of food from local produce.

Senior Mimi Cook approached Breetwor over the summer, after Breetwor started a Whitman Cooking Blog group on Facebook, asking her to help form a cooking club in the fall semester.

“A lot of my classmates expressed interest in [having] a cooking club,” said Breetwor. “It seemed like a really exciting idea . . . I think there are a lot of Whitman students who have a passion for food.”

Although the fast-food/food-fast way of life stereotypes the typical American lifestyle, Breetwor believes that Whitman students have an intense interest in the slow-food movement.

“It’s a myth that college students have to survive on Ramen and ‘cheap’ goods,” said Cook. “You just have to know where to look. [For example], we picked apples at [one of the] Milton-Freewater Orchards for fifty cents per pound.”

Senior Hailey Flanigan hopes to host various local food-based workshops and trips.

“We have a lot of ideas and things we’d like to do,” said Flanigan. “We hope to host a cheese-making workshop and another trip to the Milton-Freewater orchard to make apple cider.”

Cook also has a few ideas in mind in order to spend the least amount of money per person, as well as get new members to participate.

“It would be really fun if we could get people [who come to the meetings] to purchase one item we need for the dish we make that week,” said Cook. “It will make people active in helping us prepare [the dish].”

The Whitman College Cooking Club welcomes any student interested in cooking, learning how to cook and having a great time eating quality food.

“Everyone’s invited to come share their talent and learn,” said Breetwor. “I don’t really know how to cook very well. But it’s a great learning experience.”

“It’s a great opportunity for people to come share their skills,” said Flanigan. “It’s also nice for people living in dorms who like to cook but don’t have time or access to all the cookware.”

Breetwor emphasized the effort the club makes to support the farming community.

“We really want to support the local,” said Breetwor. “With all the available places to get cheap produce, like the Farmer’s Market or the orchards in Milton-Freewater . . . we think students could really appreciate what’s here.”

Although other cooking clubs have sprung up in the past at Whitman, the new club hopes to have a lasting effect, bringing together students with a love and passion for food as well as a desire to support local farms.

For students interested in joining or contributing recipes to the club, contact Cook or Breetwor at [email protected] or [email protected].