On Dec. 1, Professor Jennifer Cognard-Black and the students in both her “Books that Cook” seminar and her “Food Writing” workshop from last year presented a creative reading of selections out of the official Kate Farm Cookbook. Over a period of two semesters, Cognard-Black’s English and Environmental Studies students crafted recipes pertaining to the vegetables, fruits and eggs produced at the Kate Chandler Campus Community Farm alongside original food stories written either in a poetic format or as personal essays. The cookbook, crafted in memory of late Professor Kate Chandler–the English and Environmental Studies professor who founded the first campus community garden with students that eventually became the farm–honors her legacy, her family, and her vision for what is now affectionately called the Kate Farm.
The evening began with an introduction from Cognard-Black, thanking the sponsors for the event, specifically the English Department and the Environmental Studies Department, as well as Professor Barry Muchnick for all of his efforts towards making the cookbook possible. After this introduction, students who’d contributed recipes and stories to the cookbook rose one by one to the podium to read delectable excerpts from their compositions. Other students provided a history of the farm, a history of the Kate Farm Cookbook project itself, and then the event ended with a closing note, which offered gratitude to the students, sponsors, professors and people who made the event possible. After the reading, four recipes from the cookbook, provided by David Sansotta and Chef William from Bon Appetit, were served alongside a potluck of dishes brought by students and faculty. The Kate Farm Cookbook is available for purchase through the SMCM bookstore. All proceeds go to support the Kate Farm and its efforts in feeding our campus as well as members of the St. Mary’s community, including those who face food insecurity.
