Cooking can be an overwhelming task, especially for inexperienced college students. However, C.H.E.W, a program on Emporia State’s campus, has been working to help make healthy eating a fun and educational experience.
Before COVID-19, C.H.E.W began teaching students how to cook healthy and eat well. February of 2020 was the last time classes were offered. And nearly two years later, director of health services Mary McDaniel Anschutz is excited to start the program up again.
“Post COVID, I’m just excited to get students back together doing stuff again,” McDaniel Anschutz said. “And the opportunity for people to do some hands-on experience and have a good time and enjoy learning how to cook healthy and do things together.”
Along with McDaniel Anschutz, registered dietitian Emily Prouse, has helped to put this event together. She herself has experienced the difficulty of creating healthy eating habits while in school.
“I remember myself as a college student going to the cafeteria,” Prouse said. “And there were all these options…but it wasn’t what I felt like eating so I’d eat a meal but I didn’t feel satisfied because that’s not what sounded good to me and so then we tend to overeat and that’s kind of where that — you know we talk about the freshman 15 — some of where that comes that adjustment and figuring that out.”
For some students, cooking can seem very intimidating at first.
“We do so many things around food and so for some that’s not been normal and that’s not always you know if they don’t have a good relationship with food it can be scary,” Prouse said. “And so I like being a part of that and bringing that family feel and that’s what this does that’s part of the goal.”
11 students in total showed up for the event including senior art education major Brittany Humbert who was relieved to find an affordable way to learn how to cook.
“I could never really find anything in the community that did not cost money to take,” Humbert said. “So having a free cooking night, that kind of put myself at ease, my pocket at ease and I’m able to learn different things and be more comfortable with the kitchen.”
The menu for the evening featured spaghetti and meatballs, salad with homemade dressing, cheesecake and breadsticks all made from scratch. Students had to work with one another to carefully follow directions provided by C.H.E.W. Some students, such as senior business administration major Courtney Walter, had the chance to make new friends.
“There was one girl in there that I was like ‘I think I know you’. And she was like ‘yeah I’m a business major.’ So like yeah, she’s definitely been in some of my classes,” Walter said. “So it’s cool to see people outside of the classroom and like, she’s very quiet in class but seeing her in a little bit more of a comfortable area, It’s kind of cool to see that.”
C.H.E.W plans to host one more class this semester on April 6.
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