Cool cooks
By Sandy Coleman
"Wear something that needs a little flour on it."
That's what Jonah Cool '04 jokingly advised for students who joined him to make several dozen apple dumplings for a fall dinner hosted by President Ronald Crutcher and Betty Neal Crutcher for First-Year Seminar students, faculty and administrative mentors.
The same advice held true for the next day when flour-covered students spent the morning helping award-winning California-based chef Jesse Ziff Cool, Jonah's mother, make loaves and loaves of whole wheat soda bread. The bread was served at a campuswide lecture that she gave about sustainable agriculture and cuisine, which she has been dedicated to for more than 30 years.
Both cooking sessions were in keeping with the theme of the FYS summer reading of The Omnivore's Dilemma, which became a significant part of a multilevel learning experience this fall.
"Sustainability is such a buzzword these days. What I think is missing is a real understanding of where food comes from and all of the implications for health, for safety, for nutrition and for community," said Jesse Ziff Cool, the author of seven cookbooks and owner of three restaurants.
Having students cook bread, apple dumplings or anything rather than buy it from a grocery store helps them make a connection to the source of the food, she said. "Somebody grows that food. When you work with basic, good food, it gives greater meaning to what you eat."
Jonah Zimet '11 had never baked before so he learned something new. Erin Morrissey '08 has been baking for most of her life (according to her mom Bernice Morrissey, who joined the group), so she got to do what she loves in a more thoughtful way.
The Cools worked together to prepare for the dinner at the Presidents' House, driving around to gather ingredients from local growers. Jonah Cool, currently a graduate student pursuing biomedical research at Duke University, volunteers at a pig farm in North Carolina. So, he brought fresh, naturally raised antibiotic- and hormone-free pork for the meal.
He has been cooking since childhood and regularly works as a sous chef with his mom for large events, so returning to Wheaton to share his passion for food in a meaningful way was a real treat.
"It's a flattering thing to come back to school," he said. "Food especially has been an important part of my life. To cook in a place where I've eaten a lot and share the work that my mother and I have been doing is exciting."
