Spoon University

For the benefit of college students who love food, a new web-based publication and student group, Spoon University, is launching at this university this semester.

The website and organization, founded by two Northwestern University students in 2012, is dedicated to providing easy recipes, local restaurant reviews, food facts and other content to college students nationwide. And this spring, a new chapter of the organization is launching at this university, said Megane Simoes, the chapter’s business director.

“I love it,” Simoes said. “You get to be around food a lot and talk about food. You get to look at stuff from other universities and learn about where the good food is locally.”

Spoon University’s national website features food-focused content from 35 campuses and more than 600 student contributers. 

“Our goal is to help encourage exploration and conversation about food to help students navigate what the hell is going on in their dorms, dining halls and tiny apartment kitchens,” according to the publication’s website. 

Articles posted on the site range from advice on how to make smart, inexpensive college meal choices to recipes for Valentine’s Day and hangover cures, all aimed toward college students.

Simoes said a group of about 30 staff members started working on ideas and the logistics for this university chapter’s launch over winter break. They are mainly focusing on advertising right now, Simoes said.

Sophomore cell biology and genetics and Spanish major Lakshmi Kirkire said she didn’t know much about the organization, but a friend recommended the local group’s page to her on Facebook.

“I liked the page. When I read about it, it talked about food and restaurants nearby, which seemed interesting enough,” Kirkire said. 

The new chapter team has been planning small events around the campus to advertise. An event was scheduled for Valentine’s Day, but was canceled because the campus was closed, Simoes said. 

The plan was to offer students free chocolate-dipped spoons in exchange for likes on Facebook or shoutouts on Twitter. Several similar small events will be held around the campus this month, leading up the bigger official launch event sometime after spring break, Simoes said. 

After the official launch, students will be able to get more involved with the group through social media and possibly contributing new content.

“The best part is that it’s by students, for students,” Simoes said. “And it’s all about food. What could be better?”