Spoon University is currently the only national food publication written by and for college students. After hearing about the online magazine from a friend at Princeton University, Alana Stein, a junior in College Scholars, has been recruiting students for a Knoxville edition.
“I really just love food, that’s basically the gist of it,” said Stein. “My major is about food, my life is about food.”
The publication is composed of student contributors across the country, reporting from more than 35 campuses nationwide and boasting a network of more than 900 student writers. UT students can now apply online (through ut.spoonuniversity.com) for a variety of positions as writers, photographers, editors or marketing directors for the edition. Stein, applying for the position of editor-in-chief, must recruit at least 15 applicants from UT. Already, she has received 13 applications.
Stein said she was drawn to the site for its realistic approach to food on a college budget.
“A lot of things out there about food are for people with fancy kitchens or lots of money to spend on things, but Spoon University is for college students,” she said.
Covering topics like local restaurants, university dining halls, drink recipes and hangover prevention tips, Spoon University publishes an eclectic range of content. For Stein, an article about how to “pimp-up your ramen” held particular interest.
Josh Ferrell, a junior in computer science assisting Stein with marketing for the magazine, said he believes the publication will serve as a resource for students with limited culinary skills and limited budgets.
Ferrel looks forward to contributing some of his own cooking tips to the edition, like his five-minute, coffee-flavored brownies.
“A student here doesn’t have a lot of resources that they can cook with,” Ferrell said. “If you live in Morrill, you have a microwave that you can cook with. So, if you’re cooking something you have to think about what limited resources you have. I’d like to approach it that way, like what can you cook with just a microwave?”
Also intrigued by the magazine’s quirky and unconventional pieces, Greta Hoffman, a junior in special education, has applied to be a writer for Spoon University at UT.
“I checked out the website, and the vibe was just super funky and the style is so unique,” Hoffman said. “I don’t want to say it’s like ‘The Onion,’ but it almost is. It’s got that sarcastic flair to it.”
Although both Stein and Hoffman have little experience writing about food, they are excited to spotlight some of Knoxville’s atypical offerings.
“I just really want this to become a Knoxville thing, not just a campus thing,” Hoffman said.
Stein has also applied for Spoon University to become an official organization on campus. If approved by the Center for Student Involvement, she hopes to host events throughout the year, such as food demonstrations and tastings.
“It’s not for people who know a lot about food,” Stein said. “Its just for college students to help spread the word about how everyone’s getting fed.”
Once a team of contributors is confirmed, UT’s edition of Spoon University should begin producing articles in mid-September.
“Most people don’t think about the applications of a food magazine, they just think it’s not really relevant to me as a student because I can’t cook and I don’t have time to cook,” Feller said. “But this is very different.”
For more information about Spoon University, email Alana Stein at [email protected]. Applications to contribute to the magazine will close Sept. 5.
