Students lined up to taste the fruits of their labor—baked chicken in barbeque sauce, heaping piles of mac and cheese, sweet candied yams, banana pudding, and savory collard greens. 

Taste of Soul brought the flavors of traditional African American cooking to the Aramark Teaching Kitchen on February 25th as part of the College’s celebration of Black History Month. About 25 students from across the university joined together to create the dishes and then share a meal together. 

“I am very proud to be African American, and I love my culture and I love my cultural foods,” said Paris Ford, Research and Kitchen Coordinator. “I was really excited to come up with the idea of Taste of Soul, which is just being able to share with other cultures. And different students how to create African American cuisine.” 

Ford kicked the event off by providing a brief history of soul food in America before leading a demonstration on kitchen safety. 

“I just wanted to come out and cook something in the CPH kitchen because I’ve never been here before,” said Jada Goode, a senior health studies major who attended the event. “I love the space, it’s very clean, it’s very spacious…so I’m loving the event and just the people surrounding it.” 

For more information and upcoming events, visit the Aramark Community Teaching Kitchen events page.