THE F WORD: FOOD! Or is it French?

Photos by Soleil Hendy

By Soleil Hendy 

A visitor entering one of Lehman College’s student kitchens might think they had accidentally stepped behind the scenes at a Bronx bakery. Flour is stacked in 18-quart tubs next to the sugars, both brown and white, heavy cream whipped stiff and not yet butter. The kitchen’s equipment is a sight to behold: stainless steel countertops with state-of-the-art ovens, handwashing stations, and racks where all the tools needed hang off in the far end of the room.

Lots of chopping, sautéing, and flipping later, participants can create something out of Julia Child’s The Way to Cook, a snapshot of the repertoire of an impeccable culinary icon. These possibilities were on display on Tuesday, March 25th, when the Nutrition Club hosted an event showcasing the talents of the former celebrity chef, Le Cordon Bleu graduate, and haute cuisine connoisseur. 

Sui Ling Gilbert and Angelina Woltmann, Nutrition Club president and vice president respectively, welcomed this reporter and novice cook into the world of cuisine creations with excited smiles. 

“We actually don’t have many [cooking] skills either, but we get by,” Sui said reassuringly while bustling about the well- maintained kitchen that has become a familiar space for club members. “We’re in this room a lot for our DFN classes,” Sui said, referring to Dietary Food and Nutrition. “Food and nutrition is the major, so we use Gilet Room 425 often.” 

As they began preparing to recreate Julia Child’s ratatouille and her crepes, Sui spoke about her passion for cooking developing beyond a recreational hobby, resulting in her Food & Nutrition major. “During high school, I fell in love with the major. Yeah, I cooked when I was younger, but it was mostly just things off the internet...” Recently, she’s found herself enamored with German breakfasts with Asian influences, as per her parents’ preference. “Lots of good bread in a German breakfast.” 

Sui, a gracious host, works efficiently together with Vice President Angelica as her valiant right hand. Angelica explained that she fell into cooking a little differently than Sui’s straight shot from high school. 

“I didn’t really get into cooking until college,” Angelica said, voice undercut by the swish of hand-whisked cream. “I was actually a music major before Food & Nutrition. I didn’t even know Sui until I joined the club and found the major.” 

A splendid friendship blossomed from it all, and their teamwork is on point. After attempting to hand whisk some heavy cream into whipped cream, this reporter’s wrists got tired, so Angelica provided a hand mixer to get those “stiff peaks” as the instructions specified. Five more members from the Nutrition Club joined the action, including Raquel Lopez and Christine Marino, helping the small troupe cook the crepes and prepare toppings.

“It’s one of the best ways to learn about someone’s culture.” - Lehman Nutrition club member Christine Marino.

Christine and Raquel imparted their individual wisdom as their creations sizzled on the stove. “It’s one of the best ways to learn about someone’s culture,” Christine said while sautéing the zucchinis for the ratatouille. “I don’t cook as much now, but I do sometimes on weekends. I first started learning by watching those, you know, those cooking channels on TV? I don’t know if they still have it, but that’s how I learned.” 

Raquel, a seasoned chef in her own right, chimed in: “When I cook for my family, me and my mom have an agreement. I cook, they clean, and when the kitchen shuts down for the night, whoever goes in there is on their own!” 

The fruits of their labor were oh, so delicious. 

The crepes were light, thin, and fluffy. Golden brown crusted on both sides, piled high and set aside in a baking tray as they prepared the toppings for plating. Blueberry jam settled atop the stove, melted chocolate drizzles, Biscoff butter, thick whipped cream with a hint of vanilla, a dash of sugar, and strawberries to drizzle on top. It tasted divine, cloyingly sweet, and decadent. 

The ratatouille was seasoned to perfection, even if the recipe didn’t call for it. It sizzled gently when it came out of the oven, the refreshing aroma of fresh eggplant, softened and salted zucchini inundating the senses.