Whipping up crispy pig ears and experimenting with “liver mush,” students in Carolina Eats aren’t afraid of taking risks with their food.
“We’re not like Rachael Ray,” said Carolina Eats founder and senior Alex Dixon.
Dixon began the club, which focuses on food and culinary writing, a year ago with a few friends to unite people sharing a passion for eating.
“We were a rag-tag group of people,” said sophomore Sami Jackson, a writer on Carolina Eats’s blog who has watched the organization develop over the past few semesters.
The club’s meetings started as informal opportunities for friends to gather. One year later, Carolina Eats now includes students of all years and majors who seek a creative outlet to unwind and talk about what everyone loves most — food.
The group approaches food from all angles to capture the whole dining experience, and produces essays, blog posts and videos focused on the artistic aspects of cuisine. Their latest video post, “Cook Like a Matriarch,” shows the group’s edgy tone and avant-garde style.
“It’s about the love of food and the culture that comes with it,” said creative editor and sophomore Abby Reimer. “When you think of foodie-like organizations, it’s a lot of quinoa and organic options. But I think there’s a space for food that’s original and fun.”
The members come from a variety of backgrounds — for some, food and cooking have been an interest since childhood, while for others it’s a new discovery. As part of this exploration, the group recently traveled through South Carolina and Georgia to explore old-fashioned Southern cooking.
Jackson said the trip taught her about the diverse — and sometimes strange — dishes in Southern barbecue restaurants.
