In the spirit of the fall season, ASI’s Bronco Events and Activities Team hosted a virtual cooking event on Oct. 22, highlighting different ways of making festive fall treats on a budget. This is the second of the three virtual cooking tutorials that have taken place this semester.
The October edition of Cooking with BEAT featured Collins College lecturer and chef Michael Reyes, who demonstrated how to make various fall-themed treats like pumpkin spice latte and pumpkin hummus.
“The two cooking demonstrations I did for the students each had their own theme,” Reyes said. “The common theme was what students could do with limited resources and how could they be sustainable.”
Some ingredients that were used to create these tasty, festive treats included pumpkin puree, ground cumin, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, kosher sauce and pure maple syrup.
During the event, Reyes provided tips on safely carving pumpkins and using its leftovers for other holiday recipes. He also shared the different resources that students can access for canned goods to recreate the fall treats, including the Poly Pantry and local food banks.
Though attendees are encouraged to cook with the chef, students can choose to relax while watching the dishes get prepared. According to a poll administered by BEAT, most students who were present during the event took notes to cook at a later time.
The virtual event aligns with The Collins College’s mission to strengthen students’ personal development skills through hands-on learning experiences, according to Brian Espinoza, BEAT clerical assistant. The program was well-received by students and bolstered strong attendance, Espinoza added.
The first event of the series took place in April when BEAT was in the process of scheduling virtual events for the remainder of the spring term.
In the upcoming terms, Reyes and the program coordinators hope to host similar events in-person when it is safe to do so.
“Like everyone else, I miss not having the crew in the studio,” Reyes said. “It makes life really easy and fun, but we all make do. The other challenge is not being able to read the room. Live is always better because you can feel the audience and it gives you a direction to take the demonstration.”
The next and final Cooking with BEAT event of the semester will be in partnership with the Poly Pantry to promote the hunger and homelessness awareness week and will be held on Nov. 17 at noon.
“At every event, we hope that it may allow a break from the Zoom lectures and an opportunity to relax and destress,” said Boyer. “During this event, we focused on how food brings people together. Even if it’s just through a Zoom call.”
To attend the upcoming cooking demonstration, students can register for free at https://mybar.cpp.edu/event/6188995.