The Student Government Association hosted the first “Topper Chef” cooking class on Monday, Nov. 4, in the Academic Complex, room 202.

Students arrived at 4 p.m. to cook a meal of pork tacos, vegetable tacos, beans, elotes and guacamole. After preparation, they were able to sit and eat together until the event ended at 7:30 p.m.

Jenna Wells, a senior double majoring in accounting and data analytics, first pitched the idea of TopperChef through her position on the SGA Student Mental Health and Well-being Committee.

“Our goal is to create events and table and just find ways for students to make sure they’re taking care of themselves outside of the classroom,” Wells said.

Wells said another part of her motivation for creating “Topper Chef” is teaching students life skills. 

“I think that having basic cooking skills, not only the cooking skills itself, but the safety of cooking, are useful skills to have because when you’re freshmen coming to college, you might not have done cooking in the past,” Wells said

Wells also pointed to a grease fire in PFT last year as a reason why learning safe cooking practices is important.

Megan Farmer, a senior human resource management major and head of the SGA Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee, assisted Wells.

Farmer said that “Topper Chef” focuses on student inclusion and that through “Topper Chef” she hopes to bring people together.

“For me, DEI means a lot of things. In this case, DEI especially means inclusion, and I never want any student to feel not included,” Farmer said, “So that’s why it’s important to open this up to all students to do. And hopefully, if this one goes, well, we can have a lot more and really bring all students in.”

Georgia Brown, a sophomore business management major, attended the event to meet new people and socialize. “I just want to get out there,” said Brown.

Brown told the Herald that she has a love of cooking, going back to her roots in Chicago.

“I’m from Chicago, Illinois, so I like a lot of jerk food and fried food and soul food. So I say, okay, cooking is one of my things I like, let me go into a cooking class,” said Brown.

Madi Tyler, a freshman nutritional science major, was at “Topper Chef” assisting event attendees.

“My role here is just to oversee all the activities, just make sure everybody’s being safe in the kitchen, clean, following proper food safety rules, and just everybody has a good time,” Tyler said.

Tyler said as a vegetarian, she was often on her own when learning her way around the kitchen. Because of this, she said teaching others has become important to her. 

“It’s not always easy to learn by yourself and with someone there,” said Tyler “And if it’s more fun, then you enjoy it more.”

Tyler was given the opportunity to help “Topper Chef” through Professor Matthew VanSchenkof who was also supervising the event.

VanSchenkof said finds cooking classes like “Topper Chef” personally rewarding. 

“I love seeing the development of people and them just getting over some simple fears that allow them to jump in and do things,” VanSchenkof said.

News Reporter Anthony Clauson can be reached at [email protected].